---
title: "Since end-of-term rulings, a significant decrease in Supreme Court favorability among blacks"
description: "A much smaller percentage of African Americans view the Supreme Court favorably after the end of the recent term than in March."
date: "2013-08-02"
authors:
  - name: "Katie Reilly"
    job_title: "Former Intern"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/katie-reilly/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/08/02/249104/"
---

# Since end-of-term rulings, a significant decrease in Supreme Court favorability among blacks

[![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/07/Blacks-View-Supreme-Court-Much-Less-Favorably.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/07/24/supreme-courts-favorability-edges-below-50/)

The Supreme Court’s standing with the public has hit its lowest point in nearly 30 years, with just 48% of Americans having a favorable view of the court, and 38% having an unfavorable one, according to our [mid-July survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/07/24/supreme-courts-favorability-edges-below-50/). Public opinion of the Supreme Court has been declining for some time, but favorability fell noticeably following the court’s end-of-term decisions.

The most significant decline was among African Americans who, in the span of four months, went from having a majority of people who gave the court a favorable rating to having the smallest percentage with a positive view. In March, a majority of blacks (61%) had a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court and just 24% had an unfavorable opinion. But the latest survey showed a sharp change: just 44% of blacks had a favorable opinion of the court, while 41% had an unfavorable opinion.

The percentage of whites giving the court a favorable rating stayed the same (49%) between both surveys, and the percentage rating the court unfavorably increased by just two percentage points to 37%.

The trend among Hispanic respondents was closer to that of blacks. The percentage of Hispanics positively rating the Supreme Court decreased from 58% to 51%. The percentage giving the court a negative rating rose from 25% to 37%.

The court’s controversial 5-4 decision[ to strike down](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/06/25/in-closely-watched-case-supreme-court-strikes-down-key-section-of-voting-rights-act/) a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act may have been a factor in shifting public opinion. Before the decision, a [Pew Research survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/06/24/final-court-rulings-public-equally-interested-in-voting-rights-gay-marriage/) identified racial differences in public interest in the court’s end-of-term rulings. A majority (56%) of blacks said they were “very interested” in the Supreme Court’s decision on voting rights. Just 32% of whites said the same.