SCOTUS Approval Ratings Tank, But Who Is to Blame?

With Election 2012 in sight, Gallup just finished conducting nationwide polls on government approval ratings, with a focus on the Supreme Court. Now, in a typical employment situation, how well you’re able to perform your job is something that actually matters. Donald Trump could have a field day with the current SCOTUS roster. Haven’t spoken in over five years? You’re fired. Fell asleep at the State of the Union address? You’re fired.

But guess what, folks? No one with a bad combover is going to be there to fire a Supreme Court justice over some possibly problematic behavior. What’s more is that our SCOTUS justices probably don’t really care about your opinion. Approval ratings or not, they have life tenure, and their decisions are the only ones that matter….

According to an annual Governance poll, less than half of Americans approve of the way the Supreme Court is doing its job. Gallup has more information:

As the U.S. Supreme Court begins its 2011-2012 term, Americans’ approval of the institution is now 46%, a drop of 5 percentage points in the last year and 15 points in the last two years. Since 2000, Gallup has recorded only one approval rating of the high court that is lower than today’s: 42% in June 2005.

Less than half of Americans, huh? I’m willing to bet that less than half of Americans even know what the Supreme Court does. What can I say? The Schoolhouse Rock song for the three branches of government just wasn’t as memorable as Conjunction Junction.

So, who can we thank for the second-lowest SCOTUS approval rating recorded since 2000?

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Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Sept. 8-11, 2011, with a random sample of 1,017 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

In the wise words of Mark Wahlberg, “Say hello to your mother for me.” I’m so glad that American housewives got to weigh in on this important issue (especially when housewives from New Jersey don’t even know who our current vice-president is).

But should we be placing the blame on the justices instead? We’ll let our readers help us decide. Please vote in our poll (and defend your vote in the comments):

Do you approve or disapprove of the way SCOTUS is handling its job?

  • Approve (54%, 298 Votes)
  • Disapprove (46%, 256 Votes)

Total Voters: 554

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Supreme Court Approval Rating Dips to 46% [Gallup]
Poll: SCOTUS approval drops [Politico]
Supreme Court Approval Rating Drops, Nearing 2005 Low Point [ABA Journal]