I wonder what the term “fat chance” really means.

It comes to mind in reading this:

This could be the Supreme Court term, one court watcher joked recently, that Justice John Paul Stevens remembers he is a Republican.

It’s interesting speculation, given that most of what’s predicted about Stevens these days centers on when he will step down and which president will get to replace him with hiw (or her) nominee.

It’s a surprise for a lot of people to even recall that Stevens was appointed by a Republican.

A 1975 appointee of President Gerald Ford, Stevens is regarded as the anchor of the court’s liberal wing. But he has joined with his more conservative colleagues in three high-profile cases that defied predictions they would showcase deep ideological divisions on the court.

This court is harder to handicap than before, thankfully. It’s a civil court under Chief Justice John Roberts. And it’s the most important issue to consider in electing a new president.