The stakes in the 2004 presidential election were considered
higher than normal for many reasons, not the least of which is that
the winner would likely nominate at least one new Supreme Court
justice, if not more, over the next four years. Chief Justice
William Rehnquist, 80, is battling thyroid cancer, and the average
age of all the current court justices is 70.
Now that the election is over, with George W. Bush elected to a
second term, much of the talk in political circles last week
revolved around whom Bush might nominate for the court, and how the
Democrats might react to that nomination. Recent Gallup polling
illustrates what Americans think of the job the Supreme Court is
doing, and how they feel about the court from an ideological
standpoint.
Supreme Court's Favorable Rating Holds
Steady
Gallup's September 2004 Governance poll*, conducted after the
close of the Supreme Court's 2003 term and before news broke about
Rehnquist's illness, shows that half (51%) of Americans approve of
the way the Supreme Court is handling its job. Roughly 4 in 10
(39%) disapprove, while 10% have no opinion. These results are
consistent with findings from a year ago, but the percentage who
approve of the Supreme Court has tailed off compared with polls
from 2000 to July 2003.
Opinion of the way the Supreme Court is handling its job varies
somewhat by partisanship. A majority of Republicans (57%) approve,
compared with 52% of political independents and just 44% of
Democrats. Support among all these groups has eroded since a high
approval rating of 62% in June 2001.
The Conservative Question
Democrats' disapproval of the Supreme Court probably reflects
their belief that the justices are too conservative. Half of
Democrats (51%) believe the court is too conservative, while nearly
half of Republicans (48%) believe it is too liberal. Overall,
Americans are most likely to say they favor the court's ideological
makeup. A plurality -- 40% -- thinks the court is "about
right," while 27% believe it is too conservative, and 28% believe
it is too liberal.
*These results are based on telephone interviews
with a randomly selected national sample of 1,022 adults, aged 18
and older, conducted Sept. 13-15, 2004. For results based on this
sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3
percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording
and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce
error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
