Gallup: Americans’ Trust in Courts Sinks To Record Low After Controversial Rulings

Brittany M. Hughes | September 18, 2015

Gallup

Based on numerous polls and countless surveys, we already knew Americans didn’t trust Congress or the Executive Branch – but now, it looks like they don’t trust the courts, either.

A new Gallup poll released Friday shows only 53 percent of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the United States' judicial system, a record low since Gallup first began measuring government trust in 1997. Conversely, about half (47%) of all Americans think the courts can’t to be trusted.

Gallup explains the possible causes of this (shocking!) phenomenon with the following statement:

The decline in trust in the judicial branch likely stems from the Supreme Court's controversial decisions this year to legalize same-sex marriage and uphold a key provision of the Affordable Care Act allowing Americans to purchase subsidized health insurance through federally run marketplaces.

 

Gallup also blamed Republicans for the substantial decrease, explaining that Republicans’ overall trust in the judicial system has plummeted a hefty 17 points in the last year while Democrats’ opinions have largely remained the same. From Gallup:

Republicans' trust in the judicial branch, now at 42%, is easily the lowest for any party group in Gallup's trend.

Even at a pretty abysmal 53 percent trust rate, the American judicial system remains the most trusted branch of government today. Only about 43 percent of Americans say they trust the Executive Branch, while a measly 32 percent have faith in Congress.