Justic kennedy initially staked out a pretty hard lined position against affirmative action, just as soda mor wrote a barn burner dissent about the importance of affirmative action. When chief justice roberts started to get cold feet about striking down huge swaths of the affordable caract, he tried to broke her a deal with them. The last time there was a fight over abortion, this was in 20 16, it was bryer who wound up writing the opinion. I suspect that at least part of his calculation as to why he's retiring now, i don't think anyone can work with the quaurtz current majority.