Trump v. Anderson

In Trump v. Anderson, the U.S. Supreme Court shut down the Leftist movement to exclude Trump from state ballots in the 2024 Presidential Election. All nine justices agreed with reversing a 4-3 Colorado Supreme Court decision that excluded Trump from the Republican primary ballot there (that decision was stayed pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court).

A conservative-liberal divide arose on the scope of the ruling. The majority decision, published "per curiam" but probably penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, went further than what was necessary to decide the case. The three liberal justices squawked about that in a joint opinion, probably written by Justice Elena Kagan, and wanted to leave open the possibility of the federal government disqualifying Trump from office even if the states cannot exclude him from the ballot.

Fear of Disunity

Chief Justice John Roberts, whose vote liberals need to prevail on any case, has a fear of disunity that guided his decision in this case and perhaps similar future cases. Roberts justifiably fears that the country could splinter if Leftists are allowed to block Trump from becoming president again.

Liberal panic

The liberal Justices, led by Justice Elena Kagan, are typically savvy in trying to bring Chief Justice Roberts and another conservative, who in this context would be Justice Amy Coney Barrett, over to the Left side. But the liberal bloc apparently feels that Roberts will rule on the side of Trump unless there is public criticism, and the liberal bloc started that process with a concurring opinion that rebuked Roberts' majority (per curiam) opinion.

The liberal Justices opened their rebuke of the majority opinion with a quote of Roberts' from a prior concurrence by him in the Dobbs case, which is further evidence that Roberts' was the author of the unsigned majority opinion by the Court.