Very few Supreme Court decisions achieve a level of salience with the mass public comparable to that achieved by Bush v. Gore on the day it was delivered. Because the 2000 presidential election seemed to turn on the Court's decision, even the large majority of people who never pay attention to the work of the Supreme Court decided to tune in. Given the perceived stakes and the decision's unusually high salience, the fact that Bush v. Gore polarized Americans along racial and partisan lines should have come as no surprise. Where you stood on the decision depended on whether your candidate won or lost as a result.