WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Supreme Court’s approval rating remains underwater, with a near-record low of 43% of Americans saying they approve of the way the court is handling its job and 52% disapproving.
Current approval of the nation’s highest court is statistically similar to its ratings over the past three years since it declined to block a Texas abortion law in 2021 and later overturned Roe v. Wade in the landmark 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Approval of the court fell to its lowest point, 40%, in September 2021 and has not risen above 43% in the five readings since then.
Â鶹´«Ã½AV has tracked approval of the Supreme Court at least once a year over the past quarter century. The court received its highest job rating, 62%, in 2000 and 2001. Between 2000 and 2010, majorities of Americans approved of the court’s job in nearly every reading; however, its approval rating languished at 49% or below from 2011 to 2017. Majorities again expressed approval from 2018 until 2020 during Donald Trump’s presidency -- when three conservative justices were appointed to the court -- before dipping below 50% since then.
The latest reading is from a July 1-21 poll, which began the day the court issued its last decisions for the 2023-2024 term. Among the notable decisions this term were rulings granting presidents broad criminal immunity for their actions in office, changing precedent that courts defer to administrative agencies’ interpretation of federal policies, preserving access to the abortion pill, and upholding a law that prevents those under a restraining order for domestic violence from possessing guns.
Republicans’ Approval of Supreme Court Continues to Far Outpace Democrats’
Partisans’ ratings of the high court, which have been politically polarized in most years since 2000, continue to diverge, with 66% of Republicans, 15% of Democrats and 44% of independents approving.
The current 51-percentage-point gap between Republicans and Democrats is among the largest in Â鶹´«Ã½AV’s trend. The record is the 61-point gap after the Dobbs decision, when Republicans’ rating of the court jumped 29 points, to 74%, and Democrats’ rating dropped 23 points to the group’s record low of 13%. Independents’ positive evaluation remains steady from their post-Dobbs reading of 40%.
Partisans’ ratings fluctuated somewhat in the fall of 2022 and in 2023, but Democrats’ latest approval rating is similar to the one measured immediately after Dobbs.
Bottom Line
Just as Americans’ confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court remains weak, so does their rating of how the court is handling its job. Its approval rating is dampened by a particularly low assessment from Democrats. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to view the high court positively due to its current ideological makeup, which is the most conservative in nine decades.
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