The Supreme Court periodically releases per curiam opinions, which do not disclose the author of the opinion or the votes of the justices. While they have historically been used as a method of releasing uncontroversial decisions, recently per curiam decisions have been released in several high-profile, controversial cases.

Why are they so prevalent – and so political – in recent days? Learn more in an op-ed by Fix the Court’s Dylan Hosmer-Quint in the National Law Journal.

Read the op-ed here.

“If Roberts wants to rebuild faith in the institution he proudly defends,” writes Hosmer-Quint, “he cannot continue hiding behind unsigned orders, especially when those orders carry partisan implications.

“As someone consumed by his legacy, Roberts should realize that the annals of history will not look kindly upon a court and a chief justice so enamored with opacity.”