On Thursday, Samuel Alito became the fifth of the nine justices to speak out, denouncing critics he said were seeking to portray the court as “sneaky” and “sinister” in an attempt “to intimidate” the justices.

Alito told a Notre Dame Law School audience that the court has been wrongly cast as “a dangerous cabal … deciding important issues in a novel, secretive, improper way, in the middle of the night.”…

Rarely have so many justices uttered such provocative, off-the-bench comments at the same time. Some are at cross purposes, but they all highlight the potential for declining confidence in America’s highest court. Public opinion polls and new congressional scrutiny reinforce a possible new threat to the court’s reputation and legitimacy.