Is Trust In The Supreme Court Strong Or Poor Amongst Americans?

America’s confidence in the Supreme Court remains notably precarious, rather than swinging wildly, trust has been eroding over time. A Gallup poll shows that a new high of 43% of Americans now describe the Supreme Court as “too conservative”, a jump from earlier years and a rare moment when perceptions of ideological tilt strongly outpace other institutional reputations. Only 36% think the Court’s ideological balance is about right, while a small 17% view it as too liberal. 

What changed or rather stands out isn’t volatility but persistence in how favorable and unfavorable views have moved closer together, eventually bumping heads and rendering the Court in a rare position where skepticism now marginally outweighs approval.  

It’s not just about trust issues; beyond that it seems the court’s trajectory is increasingly misaligning with public expectation. 49% of U.S. adults have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in the Court in 2025, that's a long slide from the 1990s when it hovered around 70-80%. This is a near-perfect inversion of the trust balance that once defined the institution. 

Confidence in the Court doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it's bound by expectations about power; a survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center makes it quite clear that Americans want to draw a line. 69% think that the president should follow a Supreme Court ruling even if it conflicts with national security judgments, and less than a quarter of Americans subscribe to the notion of unbridled executive action. 

The public’s instinct for guardrails is paired with the growing skepticism around the institution itself. People aren’t as confident as they were 2 decades ago and are quite unsure if justice sets aside personal prejudice when deciding cases and feel the court’s ethical standards have declined.  

The broader mood of Americans is cautious and about 60% feel the country is bound in the wrong direction and 54% of them think a year from now, the economic state will be more dire. Faith in the institution is softer, not shattered. As confidence erodes, Americans appear less willing to grant the Court unquestioned authority.