AP Poll: Views on Supreme Court Power and Bias Deepen Post-Dobbs/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Public confidence in the Supreme Court has modestly improved since its 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, according to new AP-NORC polling. Republican and independent support has grown, but many Democrats still express deep distrust. A growing number of Americans now believe the court holds too much power.
Supreme Court Perceptions + Quick Looks
- Confidence in the court slightly improved since 2022, especially among Republicans and independents
- 1 in 3 Americans still say they have “hardly any confidence” in the justices
- Democrats remain critical, though distrust has decreased slightly from 64% in 2022 to 56% in 2025
- Growing concern over the Supreme Court’s power in federal governance
- Recent decisions favor Republican priorities, including abortion bans and presidential immunity
- 8 in 10 voters believe partisanship influences decisions, per Fox News polling
- Liberal justices continue to voice fierce dissents, warning of judicial overreach
- The court is now seen by many as politically aligned with Trump and Republican ideology
Deep Look
Public Opinion on the Supreme Court Shifts Three Years After Roe v. Wade Was Overturned
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than three years after the Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Americans’ views of the court remain deeply divided, but a new AP-NORC poll shows a modest rebound in public confidence — particularly among Republicans and independents.
The survey found that 33% of Americans now say they have “hardly any confidence” in the court, down significantly from 43% in July 2022, right after the Dobbs decision. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who have “only some confidence” rose from 39% to nearly half of all adults.
Despite these slight shifts, only about 1 in 5 Americans express strong confidence in the court — a number that has remained static since the justices struck down the federal right to abortion.
Partisan Divide Remains Stark
The divide between Democrats and Republicans remains one of the clearest indicators of trust in the court:
- Republican confidence has risen: Only 8% of Republicans now say they distrust the court, down from 20% in 2022
- Independent skepticism has eased: From 45% in 2022 to 30% in 2025
- Democratic distrust remains high, though it has dropped slightly: 64% in 2022 vs. 56% today
This divide traces back to Donald Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices, a move that shifted the court’s ideological balance and empowered a wave of decisions aligned with Republican priorities.
A Conservative Court Shaping Policy
In the years following Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the court has:
- Overturned Roe v. Wade, leading to widespread abortion bans in red states
- Ended affirmative action in college admissions
- Expanded gun rights and limited environmental regulations
- Backed claims of religious discrimination over public policy concerns
- Embraced broad interpretations of presidential immunity, benefiting Trump in pending legal cases
Though some of these decisions enjoy public support — as a recent Marquette Law School poll suggests — Americans largely question the court’s neutrality. A Fox News survey revealed that 80% of voters believe partisanship influences the justices either “frequently” or “sometimes.”
Concerns Over Judicial Power on the Rise
The July AP-NORC poll also uncovered growing concerns about judicial overreach:
- About 4 in 10 Americans now say the Supreme Court wields too much power
- That’s up from 3 in 10 earlier this year
- The shift is driven mostly by Democrats, whose concerns rose from one-third to over half
This sentiment reflects the backlash to recent rulings in which conservative justices empowered Trump and limited the role of lower courts.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson penned a fiery dissent in one such case, warning that the court was fostering “a culture of disdain for lower courts” and accelerating the erosion of the rule of law.
Voices From Across the Country
Public opinion is vividly divided along ideological lines.
Katharine Stetson, a 79-year-old conservative from Nevada, welcomed recent rulings that she says reined in “rogue judges.”
“Finally. Why did they allow it to get out of hand?” she asked, referring to past federal injunctions against Trump’s policies.
On the other end, Debra A. Harris, a 60-year-old retired government worker from Florida, condemned the court’s tilt toward Republican ideals.
“They act like we have kings now,” she said, pointing to decisions on presidential immunity. “This isn’t democracy.”
George Millsaps, a military veteran from rural Virginia, voiced disappointment in the court’s lack of opposition to Trump’s executive agenda, including his immigration policies and Education Department overhauls.
“They’re bowing down — just like Congress,” he said.
About the Poll
The AP-NORC survey polled 1,437 adults between July 10–14, using the AmeriSpeak Panel to reflect a representative sample of the U.S. population. The margin of error is ±3.6 percentage points.
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