A look at how the Supreme Court splits

— -- The Supreme Court is divided ideologically, although conservative justices have a slight edge:

The liberal wing

• John Paul Stevens, 88 (appointed by President Ford, 1975)

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75 (President Clinton, 1993)

• Stephen Breyer, 70 (Clinton, 1994)

• David Souter, 69 (first President Bush, 1990)

The conservative wing

• Antonin Scalia, 72 (appointed by President Reagan, 1986)

• Clarence Thomas, 60 (the first President Bush, 1991)

• Samuel Alito, 58 (the second President Bush, 2006)

• Chief Justice John Roberts, 53 (the second President Bush, 2005)

Man in the middle

• Anthony Kennedy, 72, appointed by Reagan, 1988. He's conservative but sometimes forms a majority with the liberals. He did so when the court allowed foreigners detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to appeal to federal courts.

By Joan Biskupic