America Divided On Supreme Court

Trump-appointed justices gain momentum as confidence climbs among conservatives

A new nationwide poll is revealing just how sharply divided America is over the U.S. Supreme Court—and conservative voters are leading the charge in defending the Court’s decisions, especially in the wake of major Trump-era appointments.

According to a YouGov poll conducted from June 30 to July 2, 73% of Republican voters say they strongly or somewhat approve of how the Supreme Court is handling recent cases. That’s in stark contrast to just 14% of Democrats and 34% of independents who feel the same.

In total, 40% of Americans approve of the Court’s work, while 45% disapprove, and 14% remain unsure—highlighting a political fault line that has become even more visible in the Biden era.

Justices Thomas and Kavanaugh Win Big with Conservatives

Among Republican voters, Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh are now seen as the most favorable figures on the bench. These constitutional originalists have repeatedly delivered on issues critical to conservative values—from religious liberty and gun rights to limiting federal overreach.

Meanwhile, left-wing justices like Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson scored highest among Democrat voters. Sotomayor had the highest overall net favorability at +4 points, followed by Jackson at +2 points—a sign of growing ideological polarization in how the public views the nation’s highest court.

Public Concern Over Supreme Court Power Drops Sharply

Perhaps the biggest shift came in public concern about the Court’s power. Just 26% of Americans now say the Supreme Court has “too much power”—a steep decline from 42% a year ago.

Among Democrats, concern plunged dramatically from 73% in 2024 to just 41% today. Independents showed a similar drop, falling from 38% to 22%.

By contrast, 55% of respondents now say the Court has the right amount of power, signaling growing confidence in the judicial branch among the public—particularly among older, right-leaning Americans who value law and order, limited government, and constitutional accountability.

Confidence in the Court Rebounding Post-Biden Overreach

Recent data from the AP-NORC Research Center supports this trend. While some Americans remain wary, confidence in the Supreme Court has ticked upward as it pushes back against what many see as unconstitutional federal overreach.

A February 2025 Marquette Law School poll also found the Court’s approval at 51%, with 49% disapproving—a razor-thin margin but an improvement compared to previous years under liberal leadership.

The latest YouGov survey sampled 1,043 U.S. adults and carries a margin of error of ±4 percentage points.

Why This Matters to America’s Future

The U.S. Supreme Court—thanks largely to President Donald Trump’s judicial appointments—is now standing firm against radical leftist policies and upholding the Constitution. For many conservative Americans, especially those over 50, the Court represents one of the few remaining institutions still rooted in traditional American values.