Public Criticism Might Be the Best Way to Reform the Supreme Court

[TwilightZone]

3. Alito and Thomas are unlikely to bow to public pressure.

If anything, they'll double-down. In Thomas's case, he already has, repeatedly.

"emphasizing concerns about the procedural shortcuts the other conservative justices had been taking"

There's plenty of evidence to indicate that Alito and Thomas couldn't care less about the opinions of the other justices. There's little evidence indicating that the note of concern regarding the shadow docket is likely to change their behavior. Roberts is just trying to resuscitate "his" court's image. It's far too late for that.

To be clear, I'm not proposing that the public and internal pressure on the conservatives be lessened. Quite the contrary - it should be relentless. I am, however, noting that it's likely not going to result in anything approaching what most would consider "reform".