Q: When is a Supreme Court 5-4 decision "bitterly divided?"
A: When the
New York Times disagrees with the decision.
Q: When is a Supreme Court 5-4 decision "closely divided?"
A: When the
New York Times agrees with it.
The former case "invalidated" school district race programs, whereas the latter case "rebuked" a lower court.
The lead from the public school race case:
With competing blocs of justices claiming the mantle of Brown v. Board of Education, a bitterly divided Supreme Court declared Thursday that public school systems cannot seek to achieve or maintain integration through measures that take explicit account of a student’s race.
The lead from the death penalty case:
Amplifying its ban against execution of the insane, a closely divided United States Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the death sentence of a delusional Texas murderer who insisted that he was being punished for preaching the Gospel.