This analysis is really stupid, because it supposes that there’s a unifying political or legal philosophy that guides the modern GOP, rather than simply a day by day reaction to get the best outcome they can while they can. Clearance Thomas feels no cognitive dissonance ruling for or against states’ rights based solely on whether his people like the outcome. There are, of course, weird exceptions like when they gave like half of Nebraska back to the Indians or whatever. But those cases only work because nobody outside of Nebraska or Oklahoma gives a fuck (the fact that I can’t remember which plains state it was speaks volumes). When it comes to the party line the only thing that matters is the party line, Barrett’s partisan hack protestations notwithstanding.