A poll released on Wednesday revealed that 47 percent of adults approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing, marking the highest level in over a year. However, 53 percent still disapprove.
Conducted from March 18 to 28, the Marquette Law School survey indicated a significant shift from a previous poll in February, where only 40 percent of adults approved of the Supreme Court’s performance, while 60 percent disapproved.
This uptick in approval coincides with the Supreme Court’s handling of several high-profile cases, including the recent decision on whether states can prevent former President Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 presidential ballot.
The court’s unanimous ruling stated that states cannot exclude Trump from the ballot based on the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, a decision supported by more than half of the survey respondents.
In late April, the Supreme Court will deliberate on whether former presidents should be immune from criminal prosecution for actions taken during their time in office, a case arising from Trump’s legal challenges to the 2020 election results and his role in the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously in February that Trump is not immune from prosecution, a decision that aligns with the views of few poll participants. The majority believe that former presidents should not be granted immunity, especially when Trump’s name is mentioned.
Another recent case involved the court’s consideration of access to mifepristone, a medication used in abortion procedures. Sixty percent of adults feel that the court should maintain the current level of access to the drug, overturning a lower court’s ruling.
This case follows the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago, a decision that led to a decline in approval ratings for the court that has yet to fully recover.