Gallup Poll: Supreme Court Approval at Record Low

According to the latest Gallup poll, the U.S. Supreme Court has an approval rating of 40% among Americans overall, and of 62% among Republicans.

Only 17% of Democrats and 41% of independents approve of the court.

The approval gap between the two major political parties is the third largest Gallup has measured, and has widened after several controversial court rulings.

While those rulings have pleased Republicans, they have left the court with the lowest sustained approval ratings that Gallup has measured. 

During the recent term, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges could not use race as a factor in deciding admissions; permitted business owners to refuse to work with lesbian and gay customers on free speech grounds; and struck down President Joe Biden’s student-loan debt-forgiveness plan.

Since the court’s June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturning Roe v. Wade, more than a dozen states in America have implemented near-total bans on abortions.

Former President Donald Trump appointed three justices to give the court a 6-3 conservative advantage.

The latest Gallup poll asked Americans if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving member of the court. Thomas has been in the news over ethical questions surrounding trips and other gifts he received from a wealthy conservative businessman, and for his wife’s political activism.

Currently, 43% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Roberts and 30% an unfavorable one, with 27% not having an opinion either way. Opinions of Thomas are divided, with 39% viewing him positively, 42% negatively, and 19% having no opinion.

Opinions of Roberts and Thomas differ sharply by political party. Six in 10 Republicans have a favorable opinion of Roberts, while 52% of Democrats have a negative one. Republicans give Thomas a 67% favorable rating, but 76% of Democrats view him unfavorably.

Gallup first asked Americans to rate the job of the Supreme Court in September 2000. At that point, 62% approved, which still stands (along with a June 2001 rating) as the highest rating measured to date. On average, 51% have approved of the Supreme Court over the past 23 years. 

The latest results are based on a July 3-27 Gallup poll conducted in the weeks after the high court finished its work for this term before going on summer recess.

Gallup interviews a minimum of 1,000 U.S. adults for each GPSS survey. It interviews U.S. adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia using a dual-frame design, which includes both landline and cellphone numbers.

No margin of error was reported for this survey.