The Supreme Court begins a new session on Monday, having reached a new level of disapproval, according to a
new Gallup survey. It is now underwater with the American public. Those numbers are driven primarily by self-identified Republicans, and it's mostly about Obamacare.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Half of Americans (50%) disapprove of the job the U.S. Supreme Court is doing, while slightly fewer (45%) approve. Although the high court's approval rating is similar to what it has been in recent years, the current disapproval rating is at a new high. Fewer Americans (5%) now have no opinion about the court. […]
This July, Democrats' approval of the Supreme Court reached a record high of 76%, while Republicans' approval hit a record-low 18% after the court handed down major decisions legalizing same-sex marriage and upholding the Affordable Care Act. Two months later, this wide gulf continues to exist in Republicans' (26%) and Democrats' (67%) approval ratings of the court, but the division is not as extreme as it was in July.
The court is as close as it's been in 15 years to tilting negative, as this month's findings are within the margin of error, and it's driven primarily by Republicans who aren't seeing an activist enough court. Twice it's been within the court's power to destroy Obamacare, and twice they haven't. But, as Gallup says, "all of this could change based on the nature of the court's decisions. Already, the court's highest and lowest partisan approval scores in the past 15 years have come from Republicans." They'll have another bite at Obamacare this session, should they choose to take it, with another case on the
contraception mandate. That's small bore for conservatives who want the entire law destroyed, but given precedent it's likely to be another win for them.
There are a number of hot-button issues the court will be considering this session, including the death penalty, affirmative action, and redistricting. Which means it has plenty of opportunity to further undermine the public's confidence in it as an institution.