Public Opinion on the Court

Gallup reports that new poll results show the public remains “closely divided” about the Supreme Court.  According to their most recent survey, 46 percent of Americans approve of the job the Court is doing, while 45 percent disapprove.  Chief Justice John Roberts’ approval rating is somewhat higher than that of the Court.  At 55 percent, Gallup reports, it is also 10 points higher than that of the President (and substantially higher than that of Congress).  Gallup also notes that Roberts’ approval rating is somewhat higher among self-identified Democrats than Republicans.  As for the Court’s ideological balance, 30 percent of Americans think the Court is too liberal and 23 percent think it is too conservative.  A plurality of Americans think that the Court’s ideology is “just about right.”  Gallup concludes:

most Americans believe the judicial branch is the nation’s most trustworthy division of the federal government. And even a plurality of Americans believe the court is ideologically balanced, rather than being too conservative or too liberal. For a court looking to start a fresh term, these are hopeful signs that it may one day be back in the good graces of a majority of the country.

This is a poll, so YMMV and the usual caveats apply.

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