Frederick Schauer, Stanton professor of the First Amendment at the Kennedy School of Government, said that a confluence of contingencies, rather than partisanship, shaped the ruling.
"There is no indication that partisan politics played a role in this decision," he said.
Schauer said that ideology is a strong predictor of Supreme Court decisions and influenced the case by determining which side the justices listened to more closely. Yet he stressed that "ideology is different from partisan politics."
Schauer thought that practical concerns about the problems in the Florida recount played a large role in the minds of the justices who composed the majority.
The justices realized that "the whole recount process is so flawed that there is no time to fix it," he said. "This is a case of finality for finality's sake."
Sharon R. Krause, an assistant professor of government who teaches Government 10, "Introduction to Political Thought," agreed that a conclusion to this drawn-out process was important.
"It is a good thing the process has come to an end, though it is unfortunate that all of the votes did not get counted," she said.
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