Feb 2, 2022 - Politics & Policy
Supreme Court approval rating tanks as Biden weighs Breyer replacement
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Americans' disapproval of the Supreme Court has been rising, with 44% now having an unfavorable opinion, according to new survey results from Pew Research Center.
Why it matters: The shift comes as President Biden weighs a replacement for Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced his retirement last week, and following partisan fights about the seatings of Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
- The percentage of Americans who view the court favorably has fallen from 69% in August 2019 to 54% last month.
By the numbers: SCOTUS favorability plummeted among Democrats and Democratic-leaners in recent years — understandably, as former President Trump named three conservative judges to the bench: Kavanaugh, Barrett and Neil Gorsuch.
- Democrats are now more likely to view the Supreme Court unfavorably than favorably, according to the polling.
- But Republican discontent has been on the rise, too.
- More than one-in-three of American adults who are or lean Republican said they view the high court unfavorably — up from just 14% in August 2019.
