Supreme Court approval poll hits record low as GOP support falls
Gallup says only 33% of Americans approve of the Supreme Court, with Republican support dropping sharply after the latest term.
By Theo Nakamura · Staff Writer
· 3 min read
A new Supreme Court approval poll from Gallup shows public support for the high court at its lowest point in the firm’s 26-year trend. For investors, the drop is a reminder that court decisions can move from constitutional law into markets quickly, especially when cases touch tariffs, the Federal Reserve or the power of federal agencies.
Gallup said 33% of Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing. That is down from 39% in July 2025, which had been the previous low in Gallup’s polling on the court.
Disapproval reached 61%, Gallup said, the highest level in its trend. That figure rose from 52% in September.
Why is Supreme Court approval at a record low?
The biggest movement in the latest poll came from Republicans. Gallup said Republican approval of the Supreme Court fell to 58%, down from 79% in September. The polling firm described that prior reading as near a record high and said the new Republican figure is the lowest for the group in nearly three years.
Gallup said the decline may reflect Republican reaction to Supreme Court rulings that went against President Donald Trump’s administration during the most recent term. The polling firm pointed to decisions involving tariffs and birthright citizenship as examples that may have carried more weight with Republican respondents than rulings that favored Trump and the GOP.
The court ruled that Trump lacked authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to place broad tariffs on imports from most countries, according to Gallup’s summary of the term. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods, and for everyday investors they matter because they can affect company costs, consumer prices and trade-sensitive stocks.
The Supreme Court also struck down a Trump executive order that would have sharply limited the constitutional right to U.S. citizenship by birth, Gallup noted. In another case, the court rejected Trump’s attempt to quickly remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook while litigation over her termination continues.
The Fed case matters beyond Washington because the central bank sets interest-rate policy, which influences borrowing costs, bond yields and stock valuations. A fight over whether a president can remove a Fed governor can raise questions about central bank independence, a core issue for markets.
How do Democrats and independents view the court?
Gallup found little change since September among Democrats and independents. Democratic approval stood at 12%, while independent approval was 35%.
Gallup said Democratic ratings over the past five years rank among the lowest for any party group in its polling history. Those years overlap with the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, according to Gallup.
The latest term also included major wins for Trump and his administration. Gallup cited a ruling allowing a president to fire members of government agencies described as independent.
Gallup surveyed 1,200 adults by telephone from July 1 through July 19. The poll has a margin of sampling error of 4 percentage points. Gallup conducts its Supreme Court approval polling in July, after the court finishes its term, and in September, shortly before the court begins hearing cases again in October.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
