EDWARD LAZARUS The Supreme Court's Term So Far: An Unusual Degree of Agreement, With Liberals Joining "Conservative" Rulings and Vice-Versa FindLaw columnist, attorney, and author Edward Lazarus discusses how, this term, the Supreme Court has defied many observers' expectations by avoiding ideology-driven 5-4 rulings in a number of very significant cases. Lazarus describes the cases that led liberals to vote on the conservative side, and vice-versa, and considers various explanations for why the Court has achieved more agreement than expected. Is it just this term's mix of cases? Is it a result of the Justices' preferences regarding statutory interpretation or deference to administrative agencies being at odds with their ideological leanings? Is it that both sides have something to gain from the less-divided opinions? Lazarus analyzes each possible explanation.