Why have so many Americans come to mistrust the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court opens its 2022 term on Oct. 3 with its lowest public approval rating in modern history, which the justices are acutely aware of. One reason is that the court issued some highly controversial decisions last term — most notably, the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

But this is only part of the story.

Other important political officials have tarnished Americans’ opinions of the court, and public trust in democratic institutions and processes has dropped more generally as well.

That matters. With no independent enforcement power for their decisions, the justices rely on public respect for the court’s legitimacy. Yet they’re not necessarily in charge when trying to improve public approval for the court.

During its last term, the court took a sharp turn to the right and decided numerous high-profile cases by a 6-3 conservative majority.