What do they do when they are deliberating on a case?
I can think of several possibilities: They could send aides to look for any relevent laws or precedents, or they could already have a feel for what they think is right, and look for supporting documentation. They could take a quick vote to see if they agree or disagree. They could have some look for “pro” arguments, and others look for “con” arguments, or each could go off on their own.
Please leave out any arguments over what the decision should be on the current case. I just want to know how they go about it.
The few rulings that I have read contain justification for the ruling. They don’t just say “We declare Gore the winner of this case”. They also provide support for their reasoning.
They will review the actual law as well as past rulings on that law and similar ones.
Remember that each judge makes his own decision and can provide his own findings.
They do discuss it amoung themselves since one has to write the final opinion. Others could agree with it or agree with the dicision but provide different reasons.