AOC’s Move on Thomas and Alito Has All the Right Historical Echoes

But second, and more important, it’s possible that her highlighting the corruption of at least two Republicans on the court may cause some of the others—particularly Roberts, Barrett, and Kavanaugh—to become more moderate in their rulings going forward.
The last time the Supreme Court experienced such a crisis of confidence with the American people was in the 1935-1937 era, and the way it resolved is fascinating.
Back then, four of the justices, Pierce Butler, James Clark McReynolds, George Sutherland, and Willis Van Devanter, were collectively known as the Four Horsemen. They were invariably joined by one of the other justices—most frequently Owen Roberts—to strike down President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s popular New Deal legislation that attempted to address unemployment and poverty.