In conference, the chief justice first presents his views on how the case should be handled. After all justices have spoken, the chief justice, or the senior justice on the majority side, assigns the opinion. The majority opinion announces the position of the Court. Ideological differences and a penchant for individual expression have led to a sharp increase in the number of these opinions. The modern chief justice who best embodied these traits was Earl Warren.
Justices can also use strategic action to win a working majority.
The most potent political factor in shaping what the Court decides is ideology. Changes in Supreme Court doctrine stem mostly from the arrival of new justices with a differing ideological perspective. Some legal scholars look for ideological blocs on the Court justices who consistently vote together on the basis of their shared beliefs. The Supreme Court knows that it must keep one eye on the other actors in the political system. Lacking the power of the purse or the sword, the Court is dependent on the reaction of others to its decisions.