Speaking out shortly after the court had split sharply on several contentious matters, including gay rights and affirmative action, the justices played down the court's ideological divisions, which had become especially plain in dissents by Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, the most conservative members of the court.
Mr. Ashcroft's positions on a number of critically important issues are simply too contentious and sharply polarizing.
America has quickly capitalised on its military gains, sharply cutting down its contentious, 13-year troop presence in Saudi Arabia, and continuing to apply pressure for reforms across the region.
While Republicans had held out the hope that they could act this week, no bill has yet been written in committee on the contentious issue that sharply divides the Congress.
Still, Democrats and Republicans ended up with sharply differing agendas on the most contentious issues, which leaders of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly must now address.
Strahan insisted he was ready to go back to work despite his contentious contract negotiations, and running back Tiki Barber -- who sharply criticized Strahan last week -- said his only focus now was on winning a championship.
The findings, published in tomorrow's issue of the British Medical Journal, are sure to fuel a contentious debate in Europe and in the United States over proposed standards that would sharply reduce exposure to airborne pollutants.
At contentious town hall meetings held by lawmakers before the law's passage, critics also claimed that "death panels" would sharply limit care at the end of life.
Each one has been fiercely defended and sharply attacked, and in every case the debate has encompassed the kind of issues that are usually too large, lofty or contentious to be tackled on their own.
LONDON — In a surprise move, Pakistan's government on Wednesday sharply revised downward its official estimate of civilian casualties caused by American drone strikes in the tribal belt, highlighting again the contentious nature of statistics about the covert C.I.A. campaign.
