Trust in Supreme Court at Record Low
Summary from the AllSides News Team
When the Supreme Court opens its term on October 3rd, it will convene with the lowest public approval rating in modern history. A recent Gallup Poll found that only 47% of adults surveyed trust the court, which is six percentage points lower than the 53% reported in 2015. 58% of respondents told Gallup they disapprove of the Supreme Court's job performance, which is a record high. This matters, since the Supreme Court relies on public respect for its legitimacy as the justices have no independent enforcement power for their decisions. The poll comes after recent landmark decisions on issues such a gun rights and abortion — most notably, the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Meanwhile, Justice Samuel Alito has defended recent rulings, saying that those who question the legitimacy of the Supreme Court have “crossed an important line.” His comment was a response to Justice Elena Kagan's remarks implying that the conservative majority on the court was acting on behalf of the Republican Party.
Sources from across the political spectrum have covered this poll, with some on the left focusing on the fact that Senate Republicans hurt public support for the court by not considering the nomination of Merrick Garland by then-President Barack Obama, but then later considering the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett under then-President Donald Trump. A number of sources pointed out that public trust in democratic institutions and processes in general has dropped.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
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...
From the Right
Justice Alito: Questioning Legitimacy of SCOTUS ‘Crosses an Important Line’
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has weighed in to defend the recent rulings from the conservative majority, saying that those questioning the high court’s legitimacy have “crossed an important line.”
Alito, who penned the majority opinion that essentially sent the question of abortion access back to individual states, was asked by the Wall Street Journal whether overturning precedent threatens the Supreme Court’s legitimacy.
“It goes without saying that everyone is free to express disagreement with our decisions and to criticize our reasoning as they see fit,” Alito told the Journal on...
From the Center
Supreme Court trust at record low: Gallup
Public trust of the U.S. Supreme Court is at a record low, according to a Gallup poll published on Thursday.
Forty-seven percent of adults surveyed earlier this month said that they trust the court, 6 percentage points lower than the previous record low of 53 percent reported in 2015.
Last year, 54 percent of respondents said they had “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the court.
Job approval for the Supreme Court also dropped in the new poll, tying the previous record low of 40 percent.
After the...
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