More than half in Pew Research poll have unfavorable view of Supreme Court

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Public opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court continues to erode, with more than half of respondents in a recent poll expressing an unfavorable view of the high court, according to data released from the Pew Research Center.

Favorable ratings of the court have fallen to historic lows.

Recent high-profile Supreme Court rulings on issues including presidential immunity, government regulation of business, abortion and more have generated interest. While support for the high court is low, the numbers remain largely unchanged from last year.

"Fewer than half of Americans (47%) now express a favorable opinion of the court, while about half (51%) have an unfavorable view," the Pew report said .

Only a quarter of Democrats report having a favorable view of the Supreme Court, a number that has fallen sharply since 2021, when more than two-thirds had a favorable impression. That was prior to the court's ruling in the so-called "Dobbs case," which effectively eliminated the federal right to an abortion.

Sixty-three percent of Americans say they support the right to an abortion , a slight uptick over last year's numbers, the Pew polling shows.

Nearly half of Americans see the Supreme Court as conservative, 42 percent see it as "middle of the road," and 7 percent label the court liberal.

"Public perceptions of the Supreme Court's ideology have not changed much in the past year. Since 2020, however, the share of Americans saying the court is conservative has increased 18 points," Pew said." That year, 56% said the court was middle of the road, while 30% viewed the court as conservative and 12% said it was liberal."

Recent rulings by the justices have called their question into power, including one that would give president's largely unquestioned immunity and been referred to as the King's Act. Democrats reacted to counter that action .

Justice Sonya Sotomayor opposed giving a president such widespread immunity.

"In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law," she told the media.

The private business and personal dealings of Justice Clarence Thomas also have continued to raise questions.

Thomas allegedly continues to conceal international travel covered by a wealthy Republican donor, a top Democratic senator said as he revealed a previously undisclosed trip the Supreme Court justice and his wife enjoyed more than a decade ago aboard conservative billionaire Harlan Crow's private jet.

Citing U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said in a letter Monday that Thomas and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, flew round trip aboard Crow's private jet from Hawaii to New Zealand in November of 2010.

The letter was addressed to Crow's lawyers in demand of financial and travel records concerning their client to see if personal trips involving Thomas were being used to evade paying taxes.

"I am deeply concerned that Mr. Crow may have been showering a public official with extravagant gifts, then writing off those gifts to lower his tax bill," Wyden said.