The future of the US Supreme Court - and the nomination of two new justices - was supposed to unleash an ideological battle that would strain the fabric of American society. But Judge John Roberts was confirmed last year as chief justice with hardly a whimper from the public or the politicians. And so far at least there are few signs that the Senate confirmation hearings of the next nominee, Judge Samuel Alito, which begin today, will prompt the ideological conflagration long predicted by the pundits.

For the past two months interest groups from both the right and left have spent millions of dollars trying to stoke the fires of battle over Mr Alito. They have mounted a campaign worthy of an electoral candidate, complete with duelling television spots and negative advertising. But the American public appears to have largely ignored the competing caricatures put forward by interest groups: latest polls show that Americans are equally divided between those who support Mr Alito, those who oppose him and those who have not yet started to pay attention.