WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd August, 2023) The approval rating of the US Supreme Court has dropped to a record low 40%, according to a Gallup poll published on Wednesday.
"The current rating ties the court's record-low job score first recorded in September 2021, which ticked up to 43% in July 2022 before dropping back to 40%," the poll said.
Since 2000, the level of confidence in the top court in the country has decreased by 22 percentage points. In the last three years, it has dropped by 18 percentage points, according to the pollster.
The overturning of abortion rights appears to be a major reason for such a decline. The rating plunged to 40% for the first time in September 2021 after the court allowed a restrictive Texas abortion law to stand, the pollster said.
"That ruling was a precursor to its June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overturning Roe v. Wade; now, more than a dozen states have near-total bans on abortions," it added.
Republicans look much more supportive of the court (62%), than Democrats (17%). The 45-percentage-point party gap is the third largest in the last two decades. A 61-point gap (74% among Republicans, 13% among Democrats) was registered in 2022, after the court overturned Roe v. Wade. In 2015, when the court legalized same-sex marriage and supported Barack Obama's healthcare law, the gap was 58 points (76% among Democrats, 18% among Republicans).
At the same time, 43% of Americans approve of Chief Justice John Roberts' job performance, while 30% express the opposite opinion. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving member of the court, got the support of 39%, while 42% view him negatively, the poll said.
"Americans continue to be critical of the Supreme Court, largely because of strongly negative views from Democrats and more negative than positive opinions from independents, which offset Republicans' generally positive opinions," the survey concluded.
The poll was conducted from July 3-27 via telephone interviews of 1,015 adults in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.
