Judiciary

Confidence in judiciary drops, poll finds; which SCOTUS justices are favorites?

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Photo by Nicescene/Shutterstock.com.

Confidence in the judiciary has declined, although it’s still the most trusted branch of government, according to a Fox News poll taken during the partial government shutdown.

Asked to name the branch of government they trusted the most, 35 percent of the respondents chose the U.S. Supreme Court in the judicial branch—down from 45 percent of the respondents in February 2017. The record low was 33 percent in June 2005. Fox News has coverage.

Thirteen percent chose U.S. Congress in the legislative branch—the same percentage as in 2017, while 18 percent chose the president in the executive branch—down from 26 percent in February 2017.

Twelve percent answered none, 10 percent said their trust was mixed, 10 percent didn’t know, and 2 percent said all. The poll, released Wednesday, is based on a random sample of 1,008 registered voters.

The decrease in trust was down across groups, but it was particularly pronounced among Democrats. Thirty-seven percent said they trusted the judicial branch the most—down from 67 percent in 2017.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the most popular justice, the poll found. Asked to pick their favorite justice, 18 percent chose Ginsburg. The next most popular justices were Brett M. Kavanaugh, chosen by 6 percent; and Neil M. Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, each chosen by 4 percent.

Twenty-two percent were unable to name any Supreme Court justices, while 20 percent said they had no favorite, and 18 percent didn’t know.

Hat tip to How Appealing.

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