Aug 2, 2023 - Politics & Policy
Republicans used to hate the Supreme Court. Now Democrats do
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American approval of the U.S. Supreme Court is tied for a record low, with the second-lowest support from Democrats ever recorded by Gallup.
Why it matters: Just 40% of the American public now approves of the court, a sharp decline from the 51% average since data was first collected in 2000.
- The third branch of the federal government is struggling to battle an increasingly political image — falling off the pedestal it had built for itself.
- "At every turn, the court looks more like run-of-the-mill, outcomes-driven, raw-power politics," Axios's Sam Baker wrote last month.
The big picture: The new polling signals the lasting impact of the overturn of Roe v. Wade last year, as well as the U.S. response to a slew of high-profile rulings by the court's conservative majority in most recent term.
- The court struck down affirmative action at colleges, blocked President Biden from forgiving student loans and handed Democrats a critical redistricting win.
The bottom line: The 45 percentage point gap between GOP and Democratic approval represents a flip from eight years ago after the court legalized same-sex marriage.
- At that time, three quarters of Democrats approved of the court's job, compared to just 18% of Republicans.
