Political

Americans Continue to Lose Trust in the Supreme Court

A public opinion Gallup poll inquiring about trust in the Supreme Court of the United States has indicated a sizable drop from years prior. Between 2020 and 2022 there was a drop of 20 points to a record low of 47% and, for the first time, a plurality representing 42% of Americans viewed the court as being too conservative. This comes as a stark reversal from the last decade when the SCOTUS was the most-trusted institution in Washington by leaps and bounds.

The Christian Science Monitor further explains the declining trust as a result of increasing partisanship. The high court has had a 6-3 conservative supermajority since 2020 and has decided upon a number of high-profile cases favoring conservative policies, such as overturning abortion rights, removing affirmative action, and expanding gun rights. Needless to say, Republican confidence in the court has not wavered, however, trust among Democrats and some independents have dipped significantly.

The court has also been regularly accepting high-profile and politically charged cases while ethics issues and scandals have been making headlines. All of these factors along with a smaller docket that highlights the controversial cases have only helped to enshrine the public distrust. A recently released annual report disclosing the financials of each justice provides the proof surrounding some of the ethical issues that further warrants the distrust. Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito have particularly faced scrutiny from not disclosing lavish gifts and vacations they received from conservatives over their tenure.

While the high court has become more conservative, lower federal courts have seen a conservative surge in appointments as well. President Trump appointed more federal judges in his first term than any president in history. These include just under a third of active appeals court judges and over a quarter of district court judges according to the Christian Science Monitor article. The higher and lower courts often interplay together with controversial lower court decisions requiring the Supreme Court’s attention.