Approval of U.S. Supreme Court falls to new lows, according to Marquette Law School poll
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WKBT) — A new Marquette Law School poll shows approval of the U.S. Supreme Court at 38%, down from 66% in 2020.
Charles Franklin has been conducting the Marquette Law School Poll for the past ten years.
He says the court has rarely ever fallen under the 50% approval mark, until now.
Franklin says one clear indicator for the decrease in public opinion is the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
89% of the participants in the national poll say they disapprove of the ruling.
Franklin says the declining approval rates for the court is “historic.”
“Really is striking and it takes the court well below –what I would say the historical positive view of the court has been –to now see the court with approval ratings just about the same as President Biden has right now,” Franklin said.
Polling data seems to show a sharp decline beginning just after July of 2021, when approval of the court still stood at 61%.
The public’s disapproval follows a similar pattern. In September 2020, 33% disapproved of how the court handles it’s job. As of July this year, that number is at 61%.
Partisan polling shows a completely different story, with Republican approval of the court shooting up to 71% following the leaked draft opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson in May. That approval remains at 67%, while only 32% disapprove.
Democratic approval fell to just 15%, with 85% disapproving.
Those who identified as Independents showed their approval falling from 51% in September 2020 to 39%, with disapproval rising from 48% to 60%.
Franklin says the court’s ideological standing has also shifted. In 2019, 50% of Americans called the Supreme Court moderate. Now, only 21% of people believe it is still moderate and more than half of the nation believes the courts are motivated by politics, rather than the law.
Franklin says public view of the courts will have an impact on the upcoming midterm elections.
He says the fate of Roe v. Wade rests on state legislators — who will be decided by Americans at the polls come November.
Complete Poll results and methodology information can be found online at law.marquette.edu/poll
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