First impressions can be deceiving and, with the benefit of a month of hindsight after the completion of the Supreme Court term, it is apparent than many of those impressions were misleading. After the term was over, many of the initial commentaries stressed the apparent consensus that emerged on the Roberts Court in October Term 2013. A stunning 65 percent of the cases were decided unanimously, compared with 49 percent being unanimous in the term before and 43 percent being unanimous two years ago.
But on closer examination the unanimity reveals less than it might seem. In fact, many of the cases that seemed narrow in their holding are likely to have broad implications in leading to future litigation and in their social impact. Consider some of the most important cases of the term:
