American confidence in the Supreme Court is at its lowest point ever amid continued fallout after the court’s decision to overrule Roe v. Wade last June, according to a new survey.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research analyzed data from the 2022 General Social Survey found just 18 percent of those polled said they have a great deal of confidence in 2022, which is down from 26 percent in 2021. The 18 percent mark is the lowest level since 1973—when confidence in the court began being tracked. 

About 36 percent said they had hardly any confidence in the Supreme Court, also the highest recorded since the GSS began. (See “SUPREME COURT VOTES FOR MORE MEDIA CONSOLIDATION” 13 Apr 2021, “SUPREME COURT FIDDLING WHILE AMERICA CHURNS” 4 May 2021, and “SUPREME COURT PARTIALLY BLOCKS BIDEN VAX MANDATE” 18 Jan 2022.)

The recent poll noted that Republicans and Democrats usually express higher levels of confidence in the Supreme Court when their party occupies the White House, but in this case, the biggest declines come from Democratic voters. Just 8 percent of these individuals express “a great deal of confidence” in the court… a drop from 25 percent a year earlier. 

TRENDPOST: The Supreme Court is not supposed to be influenced by public opinion and justices are mandated with upholding the Constitution without fear of bad poll numbers. But this court, under Chief Justice John Roberts, has had its share of embarrassments.

Justice Clarence Thomas’s ties to billionaire Harlan Crow, a Republican donor, has sparked an ongoing ethics probe and the May 2022 leak of the draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade also showed hints of a court in disarray. 

But outside of these PR problems, it is becoming less clear that the court is about upholding the law than living up to expectations from the political party that nominated them. 

The 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is still felt today, including the permission for super PACs to be formed that can essentially “make unlimited independent expenditures” in campaigns. 

The Supreme Court turned its back on our liberties in 2022 when it refused to hear a challenge from 10 states against the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for health care facilities to continue receiving federal funding.  

The court ruled against the states in a 5-4 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who were appointed during Republican administrations,  joined the majority.

We noted at the time that the Supreme ignorance of the Supreme Court Justice who voted on the key issue that impacted the lives and livelihoods of millions of individuals was based on totally inaccurate information.   

As we have documented extensively, these vaccines were ineffective at stopping the spread of the virus and preventing infection. (See “COVID-19 VACCINES ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS WITHIN 9 MONTHS: STUDY” 16 May 2023.)