According to today’s conventional wisdom, people are deeply divided about politics. Liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, are at odds with one another when it comes to identifying the problems that confront the country and the policies to solve them.

Notwithstanding the merits of the conventional wisdom, there is one thing on which people across the political spectrum agree. That is, they believe that the Supreme Court is really important. That is why vacancies on the court garner such attention whenever they occur. And it is why the Senate will be dominated by court politics over the next few months as its members decide whether to confirm whomever President Trump nominates to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.