U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts pledged in his confirmation hearing to seek agreement among the Supreme Court's nine justices. And like President Bush's second nominee to the court, Samuel Alito, Roberts said he would respect legal precedents set by previous courts. So much for confirmation promises. As it wraps up its second term, the Roberts court is sharply divided, with justices on the losing end of a string of 5-4 rulings expressing their frustrations from the bench. Roberts, Alito and their conservative brethren have overturned legal precedents without so much as an explanation. The result, made clear in rulings handed...