Updated Jun 24, 2022 - Politics & Policy
Axios Explains: AbortionThe political leanings of the Supreme Court justices


The Supreme Court will continue to have a solid conservative majority even with Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement.
How to read the chart: An analysis by political scientists Andrew Martin and Kevin Quinn, known as the Martin-Quinn Score, places judges on an ideological spectrum. A lower score indicates a more liberal justice, whereas a higher score indicates a more conservative justice.
Breyer had the second-most liberal score (-1.901), with Justice Sonia Sotomayor being the most liberal (-3.959), per a measure that score judges on a liberal-conservative spectrum.
- Most liberal: Sonia Sotomayor (-3.959)
- Stephen Breyer (-1.901)
- Elena Kagan (-1.508)
- John Roberts (0.506)
- Brett Kavanaugh (0.548)
- Amy Coney Barrett (1.011)
- Neil Gorsuch (1.11)
- Samuel Alito (2.162)
- Most conservative: Clarence Thomas (3.03)
How justices voted on Roe v. Wade
- The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling overturning Roe on June 24.
- Alito wrote the court's opinion. Joining him were Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett.
- Roberts voted with the majority but indicated he would've stopped short of fully overturning Roe.
- The court's three liberal members — Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan — dissented.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Amy Coney Barrett, using a new analysis and scoring system, and information on how the justices voted on Roe v. Wade.