Beyond the swing justice: majority makers, dissent bridges, and coalition drift on the Supreme Court

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh each voted with the majority in 95% of cases, followed by Barrett at 92%. In Bowe v. United States, Sotomayor wrote for Roberts, Kavanaugh, Kagan, and Jackson in a dispute over successive federal post-conviction motions. Gorsuch and Jackson also formed a two-justice dissent in Bufkin v. Collins, Delligatti v. United States, and Monsanto Company v. Durrell. For example, on the conservative side, the chief justice, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett all engage in coalition drift (though for Kavanaugh this has decreased over time). Kavanaugh, Jackson, and Barrett connect the blocs in smaller sets of cases.