This week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion that the more cynical among us—or, frankly, the more realistic—have come to expect: a 5-4 breakdown that overturned 40 years of precedent. Slim margins are also anticipated for closely watched cases, likely decided next month, on whether the Department of Commerce may add a citizenship question to next year’s census and whether partisan gerrymanders in Maryland and North Carolina are constitutional.

Members of the high court are fond of saying that about half their opinions are unanimous, with another 20%-30% nearly so. Yet it’s the 5-4 decisions—on issues such as health care, immigration and same-sex marriage in years past, and likely on the census and gerrymandering later this spring—that are most remembered and, often, most consequential.