These often take the form of subjective interests: policy preferences demonstrated through political action.

Moreover, his or her vote will be taken together with large numbers of other votes, perhaps motivated by very different policy preferences.

In either case, voters' policy preferences are clearly expressed.

Indeed his policy preferences were not much different from Bennett's, and he let the Conservative government have its way.

But he said that "the due process clause does not require the states to conform to the policy preference of Federal judges."

"If you're not going to be on the ground, you can't expect to have your policy preferences prevail," he said.

Under international law, non-refoulement is not a policy preference; it's a legal requirement.

"The due process clause does not require the states to conform to the policy preference of Federal judges."

So does this cloudy picture show us anything more than justices voting their policy preferences?

Or at least stated a policy preference before one had been decided by the president.