"'There does seem to be some bitterness among the other justices,' said Curt Levey, a conservative attorney and veteran of several Supreme Court confirmation battles. 'There probably was a time when Roberts could’ve convinced one of the other conservative justices [in the pending abortion case.] He might well have succeeded in that a few years ago … Maybe this is the ultimate payback that in the most controversial of all cases and the biggest threat to the legitimacy of the court that he no longer has the persuasive power.'
. . .
But other court watchers say the situation diminishing Roberts’ power isn’t entirely the product of external forces.
'Part of it is nothing he could have done anything about,' said Levey, who works for the Freedomworks Foundation and the Committee for Justice. 'Part of it is who he’s alienated on the court.'"