With Justice Anthony Kennedy’s announced retirement from the Supreme Court, we can expect a great deal of bitterness from Democrats who are powerless to stop the nominee from President Trump and the slim Republican majority in the Senate. Such bitterness is not without precedent, and the data show this isn’t really a “both sides” issue. The bitterness tends to come from the Democratic side of the aisle.

Looking back over the past eight nominations, half were from Democratic presidents and half from Republican presidents, yet the percentage of opposition votes were lopsided.