Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern on Slate:

Until about a week ago, we heard a lot of media stories of a confounding and unpredictable court, with improbable lineups and unlikely bedfellows. And sure, there has been a lot of that. But Thursday saw a change in narrative with the thunking down of two cases that seemed to poke at the very fabric of democracy; a one-two punch that took aim at Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the ability to challenge election laws that burden racial minorities, and seemingly opened the floodgate to unaccountable and untraceable dark money flooding into a system that is already drowning in it. It almost defies comprehension that a Supreme Court that devoted so much energy, all year long, to appearing removed from partisan politics, chose the very last day of the term to let us know that when the rubber hits the road, partisan politics is what matters.