Most Democratic Voters Want to ‘Abolish’ Supreme Court

Rasmussen Reports, Tuesday, July 12, 2022 - While a majority of American voters still have afavorable opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court, Democrats have turned against the court and would support radical changes to the institution.

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and the Heartland Institute finds that 52% of Likely U.S. voters view the Supreme Court favorably, including 29% who have a Very Favorable opinion of the court. Forty-three percent (43%) view the Supreme Court unfavorably, including 25% with a Very Unfavorable opinion. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

In the wake of a recent string of decisions strengthening the Second Amendment, reining in the power of the Environmental Protection Agency, and ending the constitutional right to an abortion, however, Democratic voters mostly disapprove of the Supreme Court. Only 33% of Democrats view the court favorably, while 63% have an unfavorable opinion of the court, including 40% of Democrats who have a Very Unfavorable view of the Supreme Court. By contrast, 72% of Republicans and 52% of independent voters have a favorable opinion of the court. 

A majority of Democrats view the Supreme Court as racist and discriminatory against women, and favor either “packing” the court by adding extra justices or replacing the existing court with democratically elected justices. 

“I am shocked and dismayed by these poll results,” said Heartland Institute research fellow Donald Kendal. “How can an institution like the Supreme Court function properly when the majority of those who call themselves liberal think the Court is sexist and racist? How can our system of government continue to work as outlined by the Constitution when the majority of those who call themselves liberal advocate for the abolishment of the Supreme Court? … I know our country has been divided in recent years; I’m starting to fear that division is becoming irreparable.”(link)

Rod's Comment: I am also shocked and dismayed by these numbers. "Abolish" may be too strong to describe Democrat opinion but not by much. The desire of Democrats today to delegitimize the Supreme Court and make its rulings subject to perceived public opinion reminds me of the view of southern Democrats and right-wing fringe Republicans in the late fifties and early sixties when billbords to "Impeach Earl Warren" dotted the landscape.  

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