Bitter partisan battle wounded Kavanaugh and the Supreme Court he’s joined

It is easy to answer the question of how Brett M. Kavanaugh will be received by his fellow justices at the Supreme Court after a historically bitter and tumultuous confirmation battle: as one of nine equals, with whom they will work for the rest of their careers.

The tougher question is how months of partisan warfare will affect the court’s image. Can the justices convince the public that their solidified 5-to-4 split — with conservative Republican-nominated justices on one side and liberal Democratic-appointed justices on the other — is any different from the 50-to-48 vote across the street in Congress that elevated Kavanaugh?