Supreme Court Approval Drops as New Term Brings Divisive Issues
- Polls finds public approval at 49%, down from 66% last year
- Court to hear abortion, gun cases in term that starts Oct. 4
Demonstrators gather during a Planned Parenthood Day of Action Rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York, on Sept. 9.
Photographer: Desiree Rios/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
As the U.S. Supreme Court nears the start of a term that will pose fresh challenges to its institutional legitimacy, a new poll is showing declining confidence in the court and growing concern that it is driven by politics.
The Marquette University Law School poll, released Wednesday, found nationwide approval falling to 49%, down from 60% in July and from 66% a year ago. The poll showed that 39% view the court as deciding cases mainly on politics, the highest percentage in the two years the survey has been conducted.