The findings of the Marquette Law School survey represent a dramatic shift in how Americans viewed the court in March, the last time the survey was conducted. At the time, 54% of respondents said they approved of the nine judges and 45% said they disapproved. Now, only 44% approve.
Taken a week after the nation learned of a draft opinion written by Conservative judge Samuel Alito showing that the high court was willing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide, the survey underscores deep opposition to the possible measure. . Days after the leak, a CNN poll conducted by SSRS showed that Americans remain strongly opposed to overturning Roe’s decision, with 66% saying it should not be overturned. completely.
The new Marquette Law School poll showed that among Democrats, Supreme Court approval after the leak was also remarkably successful since March, with only 26% of Democrats approving the court this month compared to 49% two months ago. Republicans, meanwhile, gave the court 68% approval this month, up from 64% in March.
The degree of approval of the Supreme Court has been declining recently. Last summer, a Gallup poll showed that Americans gave the court a 49% approval score and a 44% disapproval score, which contrasted with the court’s public opinion in 2020, when 58% of Americans told Gallup they approved. of the court. This new figure represented the first rating below 50% that the court has received since 2017.
In addition to the leak, which was a rare embarrassing moment for the traditionally secret court, a number of recent episodes are likely to be responsible for the drop in figures, including revelations about Ginni Thomas’ efforts. wife of Judge Clarence Thomas, to set aside. the results of the 2020 election and Thomas’ public coups on court president John Roberts. Earlier this year, Judge Sonia Sotomayor said she and her fellow judges were thinking of “behaving” to try to secure public confidence, as the view of Americans in the high court has worsened in recent years. months.
“I think we all care about that. We think of ways we can behave, among ourselves, to ensure that the public has confidence in what we’re doing,” Sotomayor, one of the liberal members of the court, told NBC. News in response to a question about declining public confidence in court.