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Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10

Cooper: U.S. Supreme Court is why voters picked Trump

Voters in the 2016 presidential election made clear they thought the Supreme Court, from which the pictured Anthony Kennedy just retired, was one of the most important reasons they voted for Donald Trump.
Voters in the 2016 presidential election made clear they thought the Supreme Court, from which the pictured Anthony Kennedy just retired, was one of the most important reasons they voted for Donald Trump. Voters in the 2016 presidential election made clear they thought the Supreme Court, from which the pictured Anthony Kennedy just retired, was one of the most important reasons they voted for Donald Trump.

Name the last United States Supreme Court justice appointed by a Democratic president who failed to vote in practical lockstep with the president who appointed him or her.

We’ll wait …

Right, one doesn’t readily come to mind.

But Republican-appointed justices who have disappointed the presidents who appointed them? In just over 60 years, there are more than can be counted on one hand.

Roberts, Kennedy, Souter, O’Connor, Stevens, Powell, Blackmun, Brennan and Warren immediately come to mind. Others may think more names deserve to be added to that list.