The “gravitational pull” isn’t really about politics being moderate—it’s about how the Supreme Court sets a national baseline. Once the Court defines a right, every state has to follow that rule at least at that minimum level. States can go further, but not below it.
Polarization changes how that feels. States push harder to test the limits, and people argue more about what the baseline should be. The Court’s decisions still pull everyone toward one national standard, but if the Court itself leans one way, that “center” shifts and feels more political.
So the pull is still there, but polarization makes the baseline feel less neutral and more like part of the fight.
Does the idea of a "gravitational pull towards the center" set by the Supreme Court change at all with rising polarization?
The “gravitational pull” isn’t really about politics being moderate—it’s about how the Supreme Court sets a national baseline. Once the Court defines a right, every state has to follow that rule at least at that minimum level. States can go further, but not below it.
Polarization changes how that feels. States push harder to test the limits, and people argue more about what the baseline should be. The Court’s decisions still pull everyone toward one national standard, but if the Court itself leans one way, that “center” shifts and feels more political.
So the pull is still there, but polarization makes the baseline feel less neutral and more like part of the fight.