Most Americans Don't Believe Supreme Court Is Impartial—Poll

Newsweek

03-07-2025

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Nearly seven in 10 Americans doubt that the Supreme Court is impartial when making decisions.
Newsweek reached out to the Supreme Court's public information office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The Supreme Court has faced eroding public trust in recent years, with an increasing number of Americans questioning its impartiality. In its most recent term, the conservative-leaning court handed down important rulings that could reshape executive authority, as well as have implications for matters like LGBTQ+ rights.
What To Know
A new poll from YouGov surveyed Americans about whether they believe the justices base their decisions on legal analysis or their own political views.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they believe the justices "often let their own personal or political views influence their decisions." Only 32 percent said they believe the justices "usually decide their cases based on legal analysis without regard to their own personal or political views."
In another poll question, 28 percent of respondents said they believe the court is "impartial in its decisions," while 53 percent believe the court "tended to favor one group more than another."
Americans broadly supported measures such as enforcing an ethical code for justices, backed by 75 percent of respondents, and setting a maximum number of years justices can serve, backed by 71 percent of those included in the poll.
The poll surveyed 1,043 U.S. adults from June 30 to July 2, 2025, and had a margin of error of ±4.3 percentage points.
Supreme Court justices sit for their official portrait on October 7, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Supreme Court justices sit for their official portrait on October 7, 2022, in Washington, D.C.The poll's findings are "not at all" surprising, Paul Collins, professor of legal studies and political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told Newsweek.
The main factor in eroding trust in the court is that the "conservative majority is pushing the conservative legal agenda through its decisions," Collins said. The court is doing so by "overruling existing precedents, and stripping away civil rights and liberties, including reproductive freedom and protections for vulnerable minority groups," he said.
"Americans are recognizing the Supreme Court for what it is: a brazenly political institution. And this isn't my opinion—it is backed up by hard data. Today's Supreme Court is the most conservative Court in modern history. In fact, the recent Supreme Court marks the first time in the contemporary era that all of the Court's Republicans are more conservative than all of the Court's Democrats," he said.
Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi told Newsweek that the justices' actions outside the courtroom could also be weighing on public opinion.
"Allegedly one member has a spouse who flew the American flag upside down during January of 2021. Another justice allegedly has a spouse who is a firm believer and is an election denier. This spouse believed in 'Stop the Steal' principles and themes. Those are two of the nine justices," he said. "I think the American public sees that, reads that and concludes the members of the Supreme Court are not purer than Caesar's wife."
Rossi is referring to Martha-Ann Alito, the wife of Justice Samuel Alito, who was accused of flying an upside down American flag—a symbol used by some Trump supporters to show support with the president's unproven claims the 2020 election was stolen—outside her home, and Ginni Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, who allegedly sent texts to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows urging him to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
He pointed to the court's ruling that gave presidents immunity for official actions, tied to President Donald Trump's case for his alleged role in the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol, as one ruling that has diminished people's opinion of the court.
Critics also point to decisions like Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that guaranteed abortion rights across the country, as an example of a case that has eroded trust for some Americans.
In the most recent term, the Court's ruling in Trump v. CASA, a case related to the president's executive order on birthright citizenship, drew criticism from many in the legal community. The Court ruled federal judges do not have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions that go beyond relief for individual plaintiffs in cases. It was seen as a major expansion of executive authority.
What People Are Saying
University of Massachusetts Amherst Professor Paul Collins told Newsweek: "Typically, I would suggest that the Court moderate itself, but I do not believe that is going to happen. So, I think we need to look for structural changes. I believe instituting term limits for justices is a step in the right direction, and I also believe it's time to have a serious national conversation about expanding the size of the Court. If the Court's conservatives are not going to moderate themselves, we are going to have to do it for them."
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned about the court's reputation in her dissent in the case Diamond Alternatives Energy v. Environmental Protection Agency: "When courts adjust standing requirements to let certain litigants challenge the actions of the political branches but preclude suits by others with similar injuries, standing doctrine cannot perform its constraining function. Over time, such selectivity begets judicial overreach and erodes public trust in the impartiality of judicial decisionmaking. Today's ruling runs the risk of setting us down that path."
What Happens Next
The Supreme Court is currently in recess, and the new term will begin in October.