Favorable views of Supreme Court remain near historic low
Half of Americans currently hold an unfavorable opinion of the Supreme Court, while roughly as many view the court favorably.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
Supreme Court
How often does the Supreme Court overturn its own decisions?
Fewer than 1% of Supreme Court cases have overturned an older decision. More than half of these cases concerned economic activity or criminal procedure.
Most Americans favor maximum age limits for federal elected officials, Supreme Court justices
79% of Americans favor maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington, D.C. And 74% support such limits for Supreme Court justices.
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Garland Nomination to Supreme Court Gets Positive Reception From Public
Although Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, more Americans say they favor (46%) than oppose (30%) Garland’s confirmation to the high court. About a quarter (24%) offer no opinion.
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Methodology
The analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted March 17-27, 2016 among a national sample of 2,254 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia (566 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1,688 were interviewed on a cell phone, including […]
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Long Supreme Court vacancies used to be more common
If Senate Republicans stick with their declared intention to not consider anyone President Obama might nominate to replace Antonin Scalia, his seat on the Supreme Court likely would remain vacant for a year or more. That would be the longest vacancy on the court for nearly five decades, but by no means the longest ever in U.S. history. In fact, for much of the 19th century it was not uncommon for Supreme Court seats to be unoccupied for months – or, in a few cases, years – at a time.
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Scalia’s Supreme Court vacancy draws much public interest, unlike past open seats
Such high levels of interest and engagement weren’t common in past Supreme Court nomination battles.
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Majority of Public Wants Senate to Act on Obama’s Court Nominee
Survey Report In the high-stakes battle over replacing Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, a majority of Americans (56%) say the Senate should hold hearings and vote on President Obama’s choice to fill the vacancy. About four-in-ten (38%) say the Senate should not hold hearings until the next president selects a court nominee. Most […]
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Supreme Court could reshape voting districts, with big impact on Hispanics
How the Supreme Court decides a redistricting case from Texas could affect Hispanic voting strength and House representation from coast to coast.
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Negative Views of Supreme Court at Record High, Driven by Republican Dissatisfaction
Following major, end-of-term rulings on the Affordable Care Act and same-sex marriage, unfavorable opinions of the Supreme Court have reached a 30-year high.
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In greater Dallas area, segregation by income and race
Income segregation has increased over the past 30 years in 27 of the 30 largest U.S. metro areas. There were clear divisions between low-income and middle- and upper-income areas, as well as along racial lines.
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How the Supreme Court’s decision for gay marriage could affect religious institutions
Some legal scholars and others are trying to determine how a ruling granting same-sex couples a constitutional right to wed might affect religious institutions.
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Half of unmarried LGBT Americans say they would like to wed
Public support for same-sex marriage has surged: 57% of Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, up from 36% in 2005 and 27% in 1996.
