How Much Confidence Do Americans Have in the Supreme Court? A New Poll Says Not Much

The Supreme Court. It is probably the branch of government that we hear the least about. Supreme Court Justices do not make the rounds of Sunday morning or late-night talk shows, and even though they hear roughly 70-80 cases per term, we usually only focus on them when a high-profile ruling is about to come down. But a new poll says that Americans' confidence level in the Supreme Court is at an all-time low.

The latest NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters between February 27 and March 3 through a combination of phone interviews and text messages. What it showed is that confidence levels in the nation's highest court are at their lowest since polling began on the question in 2000.

NEW: Confidence in the Supreme Court has dropped to a new low, according to the latest NBC News polling: pic.twitter.com/X7le60bzTq
— Lawrence Hurley (@lawrencehurley) March 11, 2026

Of those surveyed, 22 percent said they have "a great deal" or "quite a bit" of confidence in the Court. Another 40 percent said they had "some" confidence, and 38 percent said they had "very little" or "no" confidence. This latest low point of confidence in the Supreme Court surpasses the low point in 2022, after the Dobbs decision, when 27 percent said they had "a great deal" or "quite a bit" of confidence. Voters' confidence in the Court was at its highest in 2000 after the Bush v. Gore ruling.

Throughout the poll's history, Republicans have had a higher confidence level than Democrats, especially now, given the conservative 6-3 majority. When broken down by party, Democrats' confidence level is at 9 percent, and Republicans are at 35 percent. It's also a given that when court rulings favor one party's ideology over another, confidence levels will go down. In 2024, when the court ruled that President Donald Trump had broad criminal immunity regarding a case related to his actions on January 6, 2021, 55 percent of Republicans had confidence in the Court, and just 4 percent of Democrats did. When the Court recently struck down several tariffs imposed by Trump, 88 percent of Democrats approved of the ruling, while 47 percent of Republicans approved.

🚨48% of voters approve of the way the Supreme Court is performing its job.
✅️That's up five points since January.
✅️41% disapprove.
✅️ When faced with a dispute between government regulations and individual freedom, 41% believe the court generally supports regulation over… pic.twitter.com/oLZMWvueOb
— Scott Rasmussen (@ScottWRasmussen) March 10, 2026

When faced with a dispute between government regulations and individual freedom, 41% believe the court generally supports regulation over freedom. Just 17% say the court favors individual freedom more.

Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt and Republican pollster Bill McInturff conducted the poll. Horwitt hit on the problem, saying;

"It’s one thing to make controversial rulings that one party may or may not like but maintain respect and confidence. What we are seeing is quite the opposite, where the court is making controversial rulings but not being respected and in fact confidence is being eroded."

A prime example of this is when former President Joe Biden simply ignored the Supreme Court ruling on the illegality of his student loan forgiveness plan. At the time, Biden stated, “The Supreme Court blocked it, but that didn’t stop me.” In 2020, then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) threatened Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch on the steps of the Supreme Court if they restricted abortion rights, saying, “You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”

ALSO SEE: Read It: Kavanaugh Goes Off on Fellow Justices in Blazing Dissent, Calls Tariff Decision 'Illogical'

In 2022, Chief Justice John Roberts may have said it best: “Simply because people disagree with an opinion is not a basis for questioning the legitimacy of the court.”

Justice Jackson Criticizes Supreme Court for Letting Trump Policies Take Effect During Legal Challenges https://t.co/BYt9ILEwuZ
— Poli Alert ⚖️ (@polialertcom) March 11, 2026

Editor's Note: Unelected federal judges are hijacking President Trump's agenda and insulting the will of the people.

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