7 in 10 Americans think Supreme Court justices put ideology over impartiality: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — A solid majority of Americans say Supreme Court justices are more likely to be guided by their own ideology than act as neutral arbiters of government authority, a new poll shows, as the Supreme Court is poised to rule in major cases involving former President Donald Trump. and other divisive issues.
The research of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 7 in 10 Americans think Supreme Court justices are more influenced by ideology, while only about 3 in 10 American adults think justices are more likely to provide an independent check on other branches of government by acting fairly and impartially are.
The poll reflects the continued erosion of confidence in the Supreme Court enjoyed broader confidence just like ten years ago. It underscores the challenge the nine justices — six appointed by Republican presidents and three by Democrats — face in being seen as anything other than just an element of Washington’s hyper-partisanship.
The judges are expects to make a decision soon Whether Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his efforts to overturn his 2020 reelection defeat, the poll shows many Americans are already uneasy about the justices’ ability to rule impartially.
“It’s very political. There’s no question about that,” said Jeff Weddell, a 67-year-old automotive technology representative from Macomb County, in the presidential swing state of Michigan.
“The court’s decision-making is so tainted,” said Weddell, a political independent who plans to vote for Trump in November. “Whatever they say about President Trump’s immunity will be politically motivated.”
Confidence in the Supreme Court remains low. The poll of 1,088 adults found that 4 in 10 American adults say they have little confidence in the people running the Supreme Court, in line with a October AP-NORC Poll. Only early 2022, sooner the controversial statement which overturned the constitutional right to abortion, an AP-NORC poll found that only about a quarter of Americans did not trust the judges.
And while the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has rejected some historic victories When it comes to Republican policy priorities in recent years, rank-and-file Republicans do not give the justices convincing support.
It has been two years since the court ruled on the right to abortion. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — Trump nominees confirmed by a Republican Senate — were part of the majority that overturned the nearly fifty-year precedent on abortion rights set in Roe v. Wade.
This year’s term, with a dozen cases still undecided, has already seen some important statements. Earlier in June, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously retained access to the pharmaceutical drug mifepristone, a drug used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the US last year. The same week, the court lifted a Trump-era gun restrictiona ban on rapid-fire gun accessories known as bump stocks, a victory for gun rights advocates.
Only about half of Republicans have high or moderate confidence in the court’s handling of key issues, including gun policy, abortion, elections and voting rights, and presidential power and immunity, according to a new poll.
“I don’t have much confidence in the Supreme Court. And that’s a shame because that’s the final word, the final check and balance for our three-tier government,” said Matt Rogers, a 37-year-old Republican from Knoxville, Tennessee.
Other Republicans share that distrust, even though the court’s current makeup is more conservative than any court in modern history. They are also divided over whether the judges are guided more by personal ideology or by impartiality. About half of Republicans say judges are more likely to shape the law to suit their own ideology, and half say they are likely to be an independent auditor. on their equivalent branches.
“I think they are being influenced and pressured by a lot of people and a lot of entities on the left,” said Rogers, a health and wellness trainer who plans to vote for Trump for a third time this year. “Let’s face it. It’s all about crucifying Trump.”
Some Republicans are less confident than others in the court’s handling of specific issues. For example, the poll found that about six in 10 Republican women have little to no confidence in the court’s handling of presidential power and immunity, compared to 45% of Republican men.
Janette Majors, a Republican from Ridgefield, Washington, says it’s only natural for a judge to reflect the ideology of the president who nominated him.
But events outside the Supreme Court chambers have left her less confident in the people running the court.
“What you hear about Clarence Thomas, who takes trips paid for by rich people, makes me think there are some individuals out there who don’t feel like I should trust them,” Majors said, referring unsolicited reports Thomas has received secret expensive gifts, including trips, from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for years.
Democrats and independents are even more skeptical about the Court’s neutrality, according to the poll.
About 8 in 10 Democrats — and about 7 in 10 independents — say the justices are more likely to tailor the law to their own ideology. A similar share has little or no confidence in the way the court handles abortion, gun policy, presidential power and immunity.
Michigan Democrat Andie Near noted in 2016 that the court appeared to be becoming a political tool when then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to allow hearings on US Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland Democratic President Barack Obama.
McConnell quickly allowed hearings after Trump nominated Gorsuch within 10 days of taking office in 2017.
“I had thought that the court, while perhaps skewed to the left or the right, served the entire country,” said the 42-year-old museum official from Holland, Michigan. “Then it came as a great relief to learn that the Supreme Court has been used to distort the political climate in which we live, and it’s only gotten worse.”
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The poll of 1,088 adults was conducted June 20-24, 2024, using a sample from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points for all respondents.
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Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.