Most Americans trust the Supreme Court, but find it ‘too mixed up in politics’

Most Americans see the U.S. Supreme Court as a trusted institution, according to the latest Annenberg Civics Knowledge Survey. Two-thirds (68%) of those surveyed trust the Supreme Court to operate in the best interests of the American people, while 7 in 10 (70%) say that that court has “about the right amount of power.”

U.S. Supreme Court building with people sitting on the steps and others in the background

But the survey also identified troubling signs in how the Supreme Court and the justices are perceived by the public, suggesting that the distinction between judges and elected politicians is becoming blurred. More than half of Americans (57%) agree with the statement that the court “gets too mixed up in politics.” And just half of the respondents (49%) hold the view that Supreme Court justices set aside their personal and political views and make rulings based on the Constitution, the law, and the facts of the case.

“Because the well-being of our system of government depends on the integrity of an independent, impartial, fair judiciary and on the public perception that judges honor these expectations, the persistently high levels of trust in the Supreme Court that we find reflected in Annenberg surveys should be celebrated,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. “But the finding that half do not believe that Supreme Court justices set aside their personal beliefs in deciding cases is worrisome.”

Read more at Annenberg Public Policy Center.