buddy of john and elena

exist NovemberRuth Marcus’ column begins with this anecdote:

On the final day of oral arguments last term, the chief justice said goodbye to retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer with emotion in his voice. It was a notable moment for the normally reticent John G. Roberts Jr., and it seemed to mean more than just mourning the departure of a longtime colleague. It’s not hard to imagine Roberts mourning the decisive end to his vision of presiding over an institution seen as operating beyond partisanship. “I lost my only friend on the court,” Roberts later told others.

Roberts told someone who told Ruth Marcus, or something like that. My initial reaction was, what about Judge Kavanaugh? The Roberts and Kavanaugh votes are like two peas in a moderation pod. Apparently, however, Robert doesn’t consider his Chevrolet chaser a friend. Ouch.

Now, we have a column from Josh Gerstein politician About Justice Kagan. Her friends are also being interviewed by the media.

In interviews, friends and allies of the 62-year-old justice said she was at an important crossroads — pondering whether the collapse of the broader American political scene has derailed her decade-long effort to find a compromise on the nation’s highest court. And the consensus is outdated, while sowing doubts about her future.

The fact that her remarks appear to have prompted equally unusual public rebuttals from some of her conservative colleagues — chiefly Justice Samuel Alito — only underscores the discontent that is brewing.

“She was clearly not very happy,” said a longtime partner, who, like many of the people interviewed, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issues involved and concerns about the impact on pending court cases.

Many saw her comments as a profound warning that all is not well in the courtroom, both in terms of the relationship between the judges and its historical reputation.

…

“Elena is very purposeful and personable,” said one of Kagan’s colleagues when asked about the liberal judge’s unusual public criticism of her colleagues. “She tried another route, right? … She went skeet shooting with Scalia. She traveled to Iceland with Gorsuch … She tried everything. She was going to be a bridge builder. “

In June 2020, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kagan were on top of the world. In nearly every case, Roberts and Kagan were able to reach some compromise to get to five. Really, every compromise leans to the left. The dirty secret is that “compromise” has always served the Left. Show me a single “compromise” decision to advance conservative jurisprudence. Regardless, Roberts thinks he’s in charge. I jokingly called Kagan the real Chief Justice.

What a difference two years make. With Justice Ginsburg’s death, the chief’s fifth vote is no longer needed. Justice Kagan has finished building bridges. No wonder she was “unhappy”. Kagan’s purpose in joining the Supreme Court was to temper right-leaning tendencies.Remembering Lawrence Tribe’s infamous letter President Obama says Kagan, not Sotomayor, can build bridge for Justice Kennedy? But now, she can only stand by and watch.All those years of carefully discussing following precedent go out the window Dobbs.