Any increase in the number of liberal-leaning justices compared to conservative-leaning justices would make progressive and liberal laws less likely to be overturned than those with a conservative intent.
The Court and the Current Court (2011)
The justices tend to vote along the lines of their personal and political ideologies. When the Court is dominated by justices with a progressive viewpoint, the decisions tend to favor individual liberties over government interests. When the Court is dominated by justices with a conservative viewpoint, the decisions tend to favor government and business interests over individuals.
The current Court is considered conservative, however, due to four-and-a-half members (Justice Anthony Kennedy is the swing vote) being extremely conservative; two being centrist; and only two being truly liberal.
The likelihood of the conservative members of the court, Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justices Thomas, Scalia and Alito, being replaced during the current Obama administration is very low because all four are relatively young. Justice Kennedy, who has voted as a moderate, and newly appointed Justice Sotomayor, whose past rulings are considered centrist, also have a number of years' service ahead of them.
More liberal rulings will be given in the future.
Conservative
More liberal rulings will be given in the future.
More liberal rulings will be given in the future.
Five of the nine justices are typically considered conservative (Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Thomas, Alito and Kennedy), while four are considered reliably liberal (Justices Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer and Sotomayor). Justice Kennedy, although classified as a conservative, has voted with the liberal faction on some cases, making him the unpredictable swing vote that helps balance the Court.
More liberal rulings will be given in the future.
He is a conservative Republican but sometimes sides with the more liberal wing of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court became more conservative because many vacancies occurred during Republican administrations, giving conservative Presidents an opportunity to replace liberal justices with more conservative justices. The Court seems to swing from one poll to the other over the course of time. Both the Roberts Court and the Rehnquist Court have been conservative; prior to that, the Burger Court was moderate and Warren Court was progressive. The ideology of the US Supreme Court is unlikely to change during President Obama's tenure in office because the two most likely justices to retire (Stevens and Ginsburg) are liberal.
He wanted more liberal justices in the court.
Yes. US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is a Republican, and has never voted with the liberal bloc on the Court. His views are considered very conservative, although not as conservative as Justices Scalia and Thomas.Republican.
The two main voting blocks on the Supreme Court are typically referred to as the liberal wing and the conservative wing. The liberal wing usually consists of justices who generally support more liberal interpretations of the law and tend to favor progressive outcomes in cases. The conservative wing generally consists of justices who interpret the law more conservatively and tend to favor conservative outcomes. However, it is important to note that the Court's composition and dynamics can vary over time and on specific issues.
to make the supreme court more conservative
Antonin Scalia is generally considered to be one of the most conservative justices on the current Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Court he worked exclusively for Republicans and in Republican administrations. It is probably safe to assume Scalia is a Republican.