Record share of Americans say Supreme Court is 'too conservative,' poll reveals

Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald on Oct 1, 2025

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A record-high share of Americans now describe the Supreme Court as leaning too far to the right, according to a new Gallup survey.

At the same time, public approval of the nation’s highest court and faith in the broader legal system remain at near-record lows.

The poll — conducted Sept. 2-16 — sampled 1,000 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Supreme Court ideology

A plurality of respondents, 43%, labeled the Supreme Court as “too conservative.” This is up from 41% in 2024, and it marks the highest such figure recorded since Gallup first asked about the court’s ideological leanings in 1993.

Over the past decade, the share of Americans describing the high court as too conservative has risen steadily, coinciding with the expansion of its conservative majority and the issuance of several contentious rulings.

The figure jumped from 20% in 2016 to 30% in 2017, the year President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch — his first of three conservative nominees — to serve on the bench.

It then rose to 42% in 2022, following the court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which rescinded the constitutional right to an abortion.

Meanwhile, in the latest poll, a record-low 36% of respondents described the Supreme Court’s ideology as “about right,” down from 41% in 2024.

And 17% said it is “too liberal,” which is up from 13% last year. Over the past 10 years, this figure has trended downward from a high of 37% in both 2016 and 2015, the year the court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide through its Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

When broken down by partisan affiliation, the results differ greatly. Most Democrats, 75%, and close to half of independents, 46%, believe the court leans too far to the right, while most Republicans, 66%, describe it as about right.

Court’s job approval

In the survey, 42% of respondents said they approved of the way the high court is handling its job, which is up from a record-low 39% in July.

This rating has remained near historic lows in recent years, falling from 58% in July 2020 to 40% in September 2021.

By contrast, between 2000 and 2010, the court generally earned the approval of a majority of Americans.

Meanwhile, in the latest poll, 52% of respondents said they disapproved of the court’s performance, down from 56% in July. A majority of Americans have disapproved of the court since September 2021.

The partisan divide in the court’s job approval is the largest it’s ever been, with 79% of Republicans signaling their approval and just 14% of Democrats doing the same.

Trust in the judicial branch

Forty-nine percent of respondents said they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence and trust in the nation’s judicial system, marking the fourth straight year this figure has remained below 50%.

By contrast, during every survey between 1972 and 2021, a majority of respondents expressed trust and confidence in the legal system.

As with the court’s approval rating, faith in the judicial system varies greatly based on partisan affiliation. Among Republicans, 81% expressed a strong degree of trust, while 23% of Democrats and 44% of independents said the same.

“The 58-point trust gap between Republicans and Democrats is 11 points higher than the previous largest gap measured last year,” according to Gallup.

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