The Supreme Court used to be one of the areas of government that was the least impacted by the nation's extreme polarization, frequently finding common ground, but recent SCOTUS rulings have magnified our divisions.
On the left, there have been renewed calls by some to expand the court following recent rulings that are viewed as conservative. And many on the right disagree.
Related: How Supreme Court Ideology Has Shifted Over Time
However, there are aspects of the Supreme Court that most Americans still agree upon. Here are a few examples of data and stories to support that:
- About half of Americans trust the Supreme Court — Republicans come in at 54%, Democrats 43%, and Independents 46%, according to 2021 data from PRRI.
- 84% of adults believe justices should not bring their political views into their cases, according to 2022 data from Pew Research. 65% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans said the Supreme Court was doing a “poor” or “only fair” job of this.
- 53% of Republicans, 85% of Democrats, and 69% of Independents think the Supreme court is motivated mainly by politics according to 2023 data from Quinnipiac University.
- 2021 data from YouGov finds 62% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans think the personal religious beliefs of Supreme Court justices are somewhat important or very important.
- 59% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats think that it would strengthen democracy to limit the number of years a justice can serve, according to 2022 data from The New Republic.
- 2021 data from Ipsos states that 71% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans support term limits or age limits on the Supreme Court.
- 59% of Democrats, 57% of Independents, and 47% of Republicans agree that the Supreme court needs a Code of Ethics, according to 2022 data from Data For Progress (Lean Left).
See more examples of common ground on issues where you might not expect to find it:
- Democrats and Republicans Actually Agree on Many Policing Reforms
- Here's Where Democrats and Republicans Agree on Abortion
- Here’s Where Democrats and Republicans Agree on Crime
- Unexpected Overlaps: Republican Voters Believe Humans Contribute to Climate Change, Support Limiting Emissions
- Republicans and Democrats Actually Agree on These Gun Restriction Policies
- Democrats and Republicans Actually Agree on These Immigration Views and Policies
- Democrats and Republicans Actually Both Support These Free Speech Positions
Clare Ashcraft is the Bridging Intern at AllSides. She has a Center bias.
This piece was reviewed by Managing Editor Henry A. Brechter (Center bias), Julie Mastrine, Director of Marketing and Media Bias Ratings (Lean Right), and Andrew Weinzierl, Director of Research & Data Journalism (Lean Left).
