These days, it seems like everything is politicized. Many Americans believe politics have infected almost every aspect of society, and now you simply can’t avoid the topic.
This is a problem, especially in regards to the law of the land. The courts are supposed to put the law – and the Constitution – ahead of the political leanings of lawyers and judges.
But that’s not what’s happening, according to a recent poll.
According to a survey conducted by the polling firm Selzer, the majority of the country believes the highest court in the land relies too heavily on political views.
In fact, the poll shows that most citizens think the Supreme Court puts political views ahead of the country’s most important documents, such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The highest court in the land should be entirely apolitical. There’s no room for subjective viewpoints when it comes to upholding the law.
However, America simply doesn’t believe the Supreme Court is impartial and objective.
And with so many huge cases looming large on the horizon, this is a bad sign: it means many will call the Court’s rulings biased. And then we have an even bigger problem.
From The Hill:
A broad majority of Americans — more than 6 in 10 — believes the Supreme Court bases its decisions more on the justices’ political views than on the Constitution and law, a national survey released Wednesday shows.
Grinnell College political scientist Peter Hanson assisted with the poll, and said it was “the moment John Roberts has been trying to avoid.”
He says Roberts worked to keep the courts apolitical, but “that has failed.” And the bad news didn’t end there for the Supreme Court:
The poll also showed that the majority of Americans want court justices to be limited to 15-year terms. This would eliminate the current lifetime appointment rule.
Interestingly, it isn’t one particular side of the aisle who believes the Supreme Court is too politicized. The majority of both Biden and Trump voters saw the court as biased:
67 percent of Biden voters and 58 percent of Trump voters. It’s likely higher among Democrats because Conservatives hold a 6-3 edge in the Supreme Court.
That’s also probably why nearly three-quarters of Biden voters (74 percent) are in favor of term limits, while 54 percent of Trump voters support the idea.
Court reform continues to be a hot topic of debate, especially due to controversial decisions made during the pandemic. This includes blocking federal eviction protections and allowing Texas’s abortion ban.
And as this season heats up, the Supreme Court will have to deal with cases involving religion, the Second Amendment, racism, and immigration.
Once these rulings start rolling in, people will once again wonder — are these decisions based more on politics than the law? And if so, how do we go about fixing it?
Key Takeaways:
- A recent poll shows the majority of Americans believe the Supreme Court bases its rulings more on politics than the law.
- The majority of both Biden and Trump voters also want 15-year term limits for court justices.
- With a busy Court season coming up, this could taint the people’s views on rulings.
Source: The Hill
