How the Roberts Court disguises its conservatism

It is no accident that magic makes such a wonderful metaphor for such a wide range of phenomena. Barry Friedman and Dahlia Lithwick try to raise the curtain on the Supreme Court. But not many people will take note because:

... it's not just the illusionist who is to blame. Magic works because the audience so desperately wants to be fooled. The American public seems to want to believe in the myth of a nonideological Supreme Court, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

The whole piece is long, but well worth the time.