Approval Rating for Justices Hits Just 44% in New Poll

[groovedaddy]

(Really? It's that high? - gd)

WASHINGTON — Just 44 percent of Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing and three-quarters say the justices’ decisions are sometimes influenced by their personal or political views, according to a poll conducted by The New York Times and CBS News.

Those findings are a fresh indication that the court’s standing with the public has slipped significantly in the past quarter-century, according to surveys conducted by several polling organizations. Approval was as high as 66 percent in the late 1980s, and by 2000 approached 50 percent.

The decline in the court’s standing may stem in part from Americans’ growing distrust in recent years of major institutions in general and the government in particular. But it also could reflect a sense that the court is more political, after the ideologically divided 5-to-4 decisions in Bush v. Gore, which determined the 2000 presidential election, and Citizens United, the 2010 decision allowing unlimited campaign spending by corporations and unions.

“The results of this and other recent polls call into question two pieces of conventional wisdom,” said Lee Epstein, who teaches law and political science at the University of Southern California. One is that the court’s approval rating has been stable over the years, the other is that it has been consistently higher than that of the other branches of government, Professor Epstein said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/08/us/politics/44-percent-of-americans-approve-of-supreme-court-in-new-poll.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120608

[marmar]

1. Which means that 44 percent of people are either......

....... paying very little attention to what the Court is doing OR ..... fully support a fascist state.

[calimary]

2. It's that high?

Sheesh...

[southernyankeebelle]

3. Gee I thought it would be lower than that.

[SoutherDem]

4. Is this from Citizens United?

That is the one that has been in the new, but considering many of the 5-4 decisions in which the court has made, the odd interpretations of the constitution, and the constant move from the middle to the right might be making them now hold the 2nd place position of the 3 parts of government.

With the dismal approval of congress, and now under 50% of the SCOTUS is this a clear sign that even though FOX News may deny this America is not the conservative bastion they pretend it is?

But, the same poll said 60% want the healthcare law overturned and likes part of the Arizona immigration law. So is the country as conservative as the Republicans claim?

Could it be both? People are not conservative but because of the disinformation efforts of the Republicans they don't know what the healthcare law is or will do, and if they knew would support it, but as it is don't. Also, liking parts of the Arizona immigration law does not automatically make the law good or supported by America. America is actually moderate more conservative on some issues, more liberal on others.

Of course FOX will interpret this to be a clear sign the court has moved too far to the right and even a bigger reason Rmoney needs to be president so they can make it even more conservative.

For me this is a clear sign we need a Democratic controlled Senate (60+) and President Obama.

[lonestarlib]

5. I doubt they give a damn what the public thinks.