Public trust in the Supreme Court is at one of its lowest points. A new NBC News poll reveals that support for the Supreme Court has fallen to its lowest level since the network began measuring voter confidence. According to the survey, only 22% of registered voters said they had “a lot” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the Supreme Court, down five points from 2022. Another 40% said they had some confidence, while 38% said they had very little or no confidence in the institution. The result reflects a downward trend in public perception of the court in recent years. In 2022, following the ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade precedent, 27% of voters said they had high levels of confidence in the court. In historical perspective, support for the Supreme Court peaked in December 2000 at 52%, shortly before the controversial decision in Bush v. Bush. Gore, who paved the way for George W. Bush's arrival at the White House.

Trust falls among Democrats and Republicans

The poll also shows that the drop in trust is not limited to a single political party. Although Republicans traditionally show greater support for the court, confidence has declined among both conservative and Democratic voters. The Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority, which in recent years has issued key decisions on politically sensitive issues such as abortion and voting rights. In the most recent poll, only 9% of Democrats said they had a lot or quite a lot of confidence in the court, compared to 35% of Republicans who expressed that level of support. Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the study with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies, noted that the trend reflects a deeper deterioration in the public's perception of the court. “It's one thing to issue controversial rulings that one side may or may not like,but that they maintain respect and trust. What we are seeing is the complete opposite: the court issues controversial rulings, but they are not respected, and in fact, trust is being eroded,” Horwitt stated.

Recent rulings influence public perception

The survey was conducted between February 27 and March 3 among 1,000 registered voters, using a combination of telephone interviews and online questionnaires sent via text message.

The poll coincides with a recent high-profile Supreme Court ruling that struck down sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, a decision that broke with the recent trend of significant rulings favorable to the president and other conservative causes.

According to the study's results, 54% of voters approved of the court's decision on the tariffs, while 27% said they disapproved.

In addition, 55% of those surveyed believe that Trump's tariffs are harmful to the economy, compared to 33% believe they benefit the country.

Political scientist Maya Sen, of Harvard University's Kennedy School, explained to the aforementioned media outlet that high-impact judicial decisions tend to directly influence public perception of the court.

“Major rulings tend to shape public opinion about the court, although it would take more than the tariff decision alone to bring about a significant change in attitudes,” she noted.

Sen added that the landscape could change depending on future court decisions related to key Trump administration policies, including its attempt to end birthright citizenship, a matter currently before the justices.

“If there are a series of rulings unfavorable to the administration, what you would expect to see is that support among Democrats would begin to thaw a little and there would also be some reaction among Republicans,” she added.

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