A new poll shows Americans overall are divided on their approval of the U.S. Supreme Court, but Republicans seem thrilled with the high court after this term.
Gallup shows 47% of Americans approve of the Supreme Court while 46% disapprove. But, when you break down the approval along partisan lines, Republicans give the high court high marks.
51% of Republicans approve of the Supreme Court, which is up from just 30% in 2013 when SCOTUS struck down DOMA and ruled against California’s Prop. 8.
Americans remain split on the job the Supreme Court is doing, and the current approval rating is on the low end of what Gallup has measured since it began asking the question in 2000. The biggest change in Americans’ views of the court this year has been the flip in partisan approval.
Controversial decisions since 2012 have resulted in dramatic changes in views of the court among Americans of different party affiliations. However, this term, nearly two-thirds of the court’s decisions were unanimous, in contrast to the 5-4 split in the two high-profile cases at the end. Americans’ current views more closely reflect the court’s own ideological divisions in these two recent decisions, rather than its bipartisan unanimity.
