{"id":46737,"date":"2022-02-02T13:56:43","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T18:56:43","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-23T23:56:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T03:56:12","slug":"publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Public\u2019s Views of Supreme Court Turned More Negative Before News of Breyer\u2019s Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-prc-block-subtitle\" aria-level=\"2\">84% say justices should not bring their political views into decisions<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/PP_22.01.27_SCOTUS_feature.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Photo shows the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021, including retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.\" class=\"wp-image-20078919\" \/><figcaption>The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021, including retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. (Erin Schaff\/Pool\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"is-style-alternate wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand the public\u2019s views on the U.S. Supreme Court. For this analysis, we surveyed 5,128 U.S. adults in January 2022. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/our-methods\/u-s-surveys\/the-american-trends-panel\/\">Read more about the ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_TOPLINE.pdf\">the questions used for the report<\/a>, along with responses, and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/supreme-court-methodology\/\">its methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Supreme Court, which typically attracts only modest attention from the American public, is about to occupy the national spotlight with the possibility of a history-making change among the court\u2019s justices and a series of highly anticipated rulings on matters ranging from abortion to gun policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-58811\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/pp_22-02-02_views-of-scotus_00-01-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f4f3f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4f3f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-01.png?resize=480,612 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-01.png?resize=620,790 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"395\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-01.png?w=310\" alt=\"Chart shows favorable ratings of Supreme Court have declined sharply in past year\" class=\"wp-image-58811 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court enters this pivotal period with its public image as negative as it has been in many years, as Democrats \u2013 especially liberal Democrats \u2013 increasingly express unfavorable opinions of the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a national survey by Pew Research Center, 54% of U.S. adults say they have a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court while 44% have an unfavorable view. The survey was conducted before Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement from the court and President Joe Biden reiterated his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/retiring-us-justice-breyer-appear-with-biden-white-house-2022-01-27\/\">pledge to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court<\/a> to replace Breyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past three years, the share of adults with a favorable view of the court has declined 15 percentage points, according to the new survey, conducted Jan. 10-17 among 5,128 adults on the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel. Looking back further, current views of the court are among the least positive in surveys <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/09\/25\/before-ginsburgs-death-a-majority-of-americans-viewed-the-supreme-court-as-middle-of-the-road\/\">dating back nearly four decades<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recent decline in favorability is due in large part to a sharp drop-off among Democrats. Last year, about two-thirds of Democrats said they had a favorable view of the court. Today, that number has fallen to 46%; among liberal Democrats and Democratic leaners, just 36% view the court positively, down from 57%. Favorable views among Republicans have also dipped over the past few years, though are largely unchanged since 2021: Roughly two-thirds continue to hold positive opinions of the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the other findings from the new survey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Changing views of the court\u2019s ideology.<\/strong> The share of adults saying the Supreme Court is conservative has increased since 2020, from 30% to 38%. Still, more say the court is \u201cmiddle of the road\u201d (48%), while 9% say it is liberal. A majority of Democrats (57%) say the court is conservative, compared with 18% of Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Majority says Supreme Court has the right amount of power.<\/strong> Nearly six-in-ten (58%) say the court has the right amount of power, but that has slipped since 2020 (from 65%) as more Americans \u2013 Democrats, in particular \u2013 say it has too much power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Broad skepticism that justices are not influenced by politics.<\/strong> Among the overwhelming majority of adults (84%) who say Supreme Court justices should not bring their own political views into the cases they decide, just 16% say they do an excellent or good job in keeping their views out of their decisions. However, both Republicans and Democrats are much more likely to say justices nominated by presidents of their own party achieve this than do justices nominated by presidents from the other party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;narrow-majority-of-democrats-now-view-supreme-court-unfavorably&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-chapter wp-block-heading\" id=\"narrow-majority-of-democrats-now-view-supreme-court-unfavorably\">Narrow majority of Democrats now view Supreme Court unfavorably<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past year, there has been a sharp decline in the share of Democrats and Democratic leaners who hold favorable views of the Supreme Court. In early 2021, roughly two-thirds (65%) said they had a favorable opinion of the court. Today, that has declined 19 percentage points, and Democrats are now more likely to have an unfavorable (53%) than a favorable (46%) view of the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-58816\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/pp_22-02-02_views-of-scotus_00-02-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f7f6f3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f7f6f3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-02.png?resize=480,434 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-02.png?resize=782,707 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-02.png?resize=960,869 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-02.png?resize=1200,1086 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-02.png?resize=1280,1158 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"579\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-02.png?w=640\" alt=\"Chart shows favorable views of Supreme Court decline sharply among Democrats; only about a third of liberal Democrats now view the court favorably\" class=\"wp-image-58816 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There has been a similar-sized drop among conservative and moderate Democrats (19 points) and liberal Democrats (21 points). But while moderate and conservative Democrats are about as likely to hold favorable as they are unfavorable views of the court (53% vs. 46%, respectively), a clear majority of liberal Democrats give the Supreme Court negative ratings (62% favorable vs. 36% unfavorable).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since last year, Republicans\u2019 views of the court have remained more steady. In 2021, 67% of Republicans said they have a favorable opinion of the court. Today, 65% say this. Over six-in-ten conservative Republicans and moderate and liberal Republicans continue to hold positive views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;changing-views-of-supreme-courts-ideology-power&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-chapter wp-block-heading\" id=\"changing-views-of-supreme-courts-ideology-power\">Changing views of Supreme Court\u2019s ideology, power<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-58821\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/pp_22-02-02_views-of-scotus_00-03-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9e6d8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9e6d8;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-03.png?resize=480,646 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-03.png?resize=620,834 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"417\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-03.png?w=310\" alt=\"Chart shows larger shares of adults, particularly Democrats, view Supreme Court as conservative\" class=\"wp-image-58821 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The public is now seeing a more ideologically conservative court than it did two years ago. In August 2020 \u2013 prior to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg\u2019s death and the subsequent appointment of Amy Coney Barrett \u2013 three-in-ten adults said the court was ideologically conservative. Today, 38% of adults say the court is conservative \u2013 an 8-point increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats\u2019 perceptions of the court\u2019s ideology have also shifted considerably. In 2020, 47% of Democrats and Democratic leaners said the court was conservative, with an identical share saying it was middle of the road. Today, a majority of Democrats (57%) say the court is conservative \u2013 a 10-point shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Republicans, there has been a 6-point shift. Today, 18% say it is conservative, compared with 12% in 2020. Smaller shares now say the court is either middle of the road or liberal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the current survey, a majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents \u2013 regardless of their ideology \u2013 say that the court is middle of the road. Conservative Republicans are about twice as likely as moderate and liberal Republicans, however, to say the court is liberal (21% vs. 10%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-58824\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/pp_22-02-02_views-of-scotus_00-04-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9e6db\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9e6db;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-04.png?resize=480,957 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-04.png?resize=620,1236 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"618\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-04.png?w=310\" alt=\"Chart shows majority who have heard a lot about recent cases view Supreme Court as conservative\" class=\"wp-image-58824 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ideological differences are much wider among Democrats and Democratic leaners. A sizable majority of liberal Democrats say the court is conservative (74%), compared with just 44% of conservative and moderate Democrats. Among this group, about half (49%) say the court is middle of the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adults who have been more attentive to recent cases being heard by the court are also more likely to say the court is conservative. About two-thirds of those who have heard a lot about recent cases say the court\u2019s ideology is conservative, compared with a smaller share of those who have heard a little (44%). Among those who have heard nothing at all, a large majority say the court is middle of the road (60%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This pattern in attentiveness holds for both parties, though it is particularly pronounced among Democrats. For example, a large majority of Democrats who have read or heard a lot about recent cases being heard by the Supreme Court say that the court is conservative (85%). This compares with 66% of those who have heard a little about these cases, and just 31% who have heard nothing at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there have been increases in the shares of Republicans and Democrats who see a conservative shift on the Supreme Court, partisans have moved in opposite directions when it comes to views of the court\u2019s power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, 58% of adults overall say the Supreme Court has the right amount of power \u2013 smaller than the share who said this in <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/09\/25\/before-ginsburgs-death-a-majority-of-americans-viewed-the-supreme-court-as-middle-of-the-road\/\">August 2020<\/a>. Larger shares of adults now say the court has too much power (25% then vs. 30% today) or too little power (8% then vs. 11% today).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-58828\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/pp_22-02-02_views-of-scotus_00-05-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eae6d8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eae6d8;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-05.png?resize=480,621 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-05.png?resize=620,802 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"401\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-05.png?w=310\" alt=\"Chart shows growing share of Democrats say Supreme Court has too much power\" class=\"wp-image-58828 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Republicans and Democrats have diverged in views about the power of the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans have become less likely to say the court has too much power \u2013 and more likely to say the court has either the right amount or too little power. In 2020, about three-in-ten Republicans said the court had too much power; today, 18% say this.<br><br>Democrats have moved in the opposite direction. In August 2020, prior to Ruth Bader Ginsburg\u2019s death, 23% said the court had too much power; today, that share has nearly doubled (40%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;partisans-agree-supreme-court-justices-should-not-be-influenced-by-politics-but-differ-over-which-justices-do-this&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-chapter wp-block-heading\" id=\"partisans-agree-supreme-court-justices-should-not-be-influenced-by-politics-but-differ-over-which-justices-do-this\">Partisans agree Supreme Court justices should not be influenced by politics, but differ over which justices do this<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A large majority of adults \u2013 regardless of their partisanship or ideology \u2013 say that Supreme Court justices should <em>not<\/em> bring their own political views into how they decide major cases. But there is more skepticism on whether justices are living up to this ideal \u2013 and partisans are more likely to give justices nominated by a president of their own party positive assessments than justices nominated by the opposing party\u2019s president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-58831\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/pp_22-02-02_views-of-scotus_00-06-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8e6e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8e6e6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-06.png?resize=480,622 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-06.png?resize=782,1013 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-06.png?resize=840,1088 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"544\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-06.png?w=420\" alt=\"Chart shows partisans more likely to rate justices nominated by presidents from their own party as free from politics\" class=\"wp-image-58831 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the large majority of adults (84%) who say that Supreme Court justices should not bring their own political views into how they decide cases, just 16% say the justices are doing an excellent or good job in doing so. A majority (57%) say they do only fair or poor, while 26% are not sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though neither Republicans nor Democrats say that justices are doing a good job at keeping their political views out of cases, Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to say justices are doing a good job remaining politically neutral (24% vs. 12%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Republicans and Democrats are much more likely to say that justices nominated by their own party\u2019s presidents are doing a better job at keeping their political views out of decisions than justices nominated by the opposing party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, among Republicans and Republican leaners who say justices should not bring their own political views into how they decide cases, 45% say that justices nominated by Republican presidents are doing at least a good job in keeping their political views out of decisions. Just 12% of this group say this about justices nominated by Democratic presidents.<br><br>There is a similar pattern among Democrats and Democratic leaners who want justices to keep their political views out of their decisions: 44% say justices nominated by Democratic presidents are doing at least a good job at being politically neutral \u2013 but just 12% say this about justices nominated by Republican presidents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, 54% of U.S. adults say they have a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court, while 44% have an unfavorable view. And 84% say justices should not bring their political views into decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":581,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"84% say justices should not bring their political views into decisions","sub_title":"84% say justices should not bring their political views into decisions","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","relatedPosts":[{"key":"_ncexwkb0t","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/07\/up-until-the-postwar-era-u-s-supreme-court-confirmations-usually-were-routine-business\/","postId":405400,"title":"Up until the postwar era, U.S. Supreme Court confirmations usually were routine 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