Voters Are Split on Their Perception of the Supreme Court, but Support a Code of Ethics for Justices
By Sabrina Jacobs
With many pivotal Supreme Court cases on the docket for this summer, the makeup of the court will be crucial in determining the direction of law in the United States.
New polling from Data for Progress finds voters are split in their perception of the Supreme Court’s partisanship. Sixty-one percent of Democratic voters think the Supreme Court is “somewhat too conservative or “much too conservative,” while the same percentage of Republican voters think the court is “somewhat too liberal or “much too liberal.” Thirty-five percent of Independent voters think the Supreme Court makeup has not changed.
Despite the bipartisan divide on many matters involving the court, voters of both parties agree that the Supreme Court needs a code of ethics that would require justices to excuse themselves from cases involving their personal finances or their families. New Data for Progress polling finds 81 percent of voters nationwide support a code of ethics, including Republicans by a +63-point margin, Independents by a +71-point margin, and Democrats by a +76-point margin.
In the wake of Justice Clarence Thomas’ refusal to recuse himself from the January 6 cases that include evidence from his wife, Ginni Thomas, voters clearly agree that a code of ethics for the Supreme Court is necessary.
Sabrina Jacobs is a digital fellow at Data for Progress.