Americans don’t see US supreme court as politically neutral, poll finds

Americans are divided on major issues that the US supreme court is due to rule on in the coming weeks, but most agree on one thing: neither Republicans nor Democrats see the nation’s top judicial body as politically neutral, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Just 20% of respondents to the poll agreed that the supreme court is politically neutral while 58% disagreed – and the rest either said they did not know or did not respond. Among people who described themselves as Democrats, only 10% agreed it was politically neutral and 74% disagreed, while among Republicans 29% agreed and 54% disagreed.

The two-day poll, which closed on Thursday, was based on responses from 1,136 US adults. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The court has issued major rulings in recent years including in cases rolling back abortion rights, expanding gun rights, recognizing presidential immunity from prosecution for official acts, rejecting race-conscious collegiate admissions and curbing the power of federal agencies. Its 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Donald Trump during his first presidency.

In the poll, a minority of respondents – 44% – expressed a favorable view of the court, including 67% of Republicans and 26% of Democrats.

The supreme court’s popularity has declined since its June 2022 decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide. Fifty-seven per cent of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted at the end of 2021 expressed a favorable opinion of the court.

By the end of June 2022, that figure had fallen to 43%. The justices are expected to issue rulings in major cases in the coming weeks as they near the end of their current term that began in October. Among these cases are one on the legality of Tennessee’s Republican-backed law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors and one involving Trump’s executive order restricting automatic birthright citizenship, part of his hardline approach to immigration.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents in the new poll said they supported “laws that prevent transgender children under the age of 18 from getting medical treatment related to gender identity and gender transitioning”. Another 28% opposed such laws and the rest were unsure or did not answer the question.

Among Republicans, support for such laws was at 57% and opposition at 28%, while among Democrats support was at 23% and opposition at 54%. During December arguments in the case, the court’s conservative justices signaled their willingness to uphold the law.

After Trump signed his birthright citizenship directive in January, 22 states as well as immigrant rights advocates and pregnant immigrants sued, arguing that it was a violation of citizenship language in the US constitution’s 14th amendment.

In the poll, only 24% of all respondents supported ending birthright citizenship and 52% – most – opposed Trump on the issue.

Among Democrats, 5% supported ending it, with 84% opposed. Among Republicans, 43% supported ending it, with 24% opposed. The rest said they were unsure or did not respond to the question. The court also by the end of June is expected to issue a ruling on the legality of a Texas law that requires people to verify their age online before accessing pornographic websites.

The poll found strong support for such laws. Among all respondents, 70% were in support and 14% opposed. Among Democrats, 65% supported and 18% opposed, while among Republicans 80% supported and 7% opposed. During January arguments in the case, the justices seemed to agree that states can try to keep adult material from minors but also voiced concern over burdens imposed on adults to view constitutionally protected material.