What we learned about the court this term: an animated explainer

There are a whole lot of strongly held beliefs about how the Supreme Court votes. Many of these involve the court’s perceived ideological divide: there are six Republican-appointed justices and three Democratic-appointed justices. So, as the narrative goes, you get a whole lot of 6-3 decisions split along those lines. But how true is that, really? This animated explainer, the third in a series of animated videos done in partnership with Briefly, guides you through which justices dominated this term, which judicial alliances mattered most, and whether the court's so-called ideological divide is more hype than reality. Briefly is a tech-enabled legal content company whose mission is to make legal information more engaging and accessible. Briefly merges deep legal knowledge with design and animation to produce rigorous, visually sophisticated content for law firms, companies, and courts. Its work includes bespoke legal content projects and a growing subscription platform that helps organizations scale legal knowledge across teams. Briefly is a tech-enabled legal content company whose mission is to make legal information more engaging and accessible. Recommended Citation: SCOTUSblog Staff & Briefly, What we learned about the court this term: an animated explainer, SCOTUSblog (Jul. 2, 2026, 9:30 AM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/07/what-we-learned-about-the-court-this-term-an-animated-explainer/