Supremely disapproved Court
Critical Analysis
Based on the data from the chart above, describe one trend in the Americans’ trust of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1970.
A student named Hans said that the Supreme Court’s approval rating is irrelevant. What fact supports Hans’s claim?
Imagine that the Supreme Court approval rating dropped in half to 20%, how might that impact the force of its rulings?
Describe your level of confidence in the Supreme Court?
In 1969, Abe Fortas, a Democratic Supreme Court Justice, got caught up in a scandal. Fortas accepted $20,000 to consult for a foundation working on civil rights and religious freedom. In 1966, Fortas quit the foundation and returned all the money he had accepted. There were other clouds around Fortas. His contract with the foundation had originally been for $20,000 in annual payments for consulting work for the rest of his life, and there had been an earlier controversy over a course he was paid $15,000 to teach at American University while on the court. He also had an unfortunate habit of continuing to offer advice to President Lyndon Johnson, whom he had long advised, even after joining the court. But it was his involvement with Wolfson that forced Fortas to resign from the Supreme Court in 1969. Justices serve for life terms, so many wondered why Justice Fortas would resign. The only Justice to be impeached was Associate Justice Samuel Chase in 1805. The House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment against him; however, he was acquitted by the Senate. Where does the U.S. Constitution lay out the rules of impeachment.
A current scandal has erupted around Justice Clarence Thomas’s years of accepting luxurious vacations and private jet trips from a billionaire, as revealed last week in an investigation by ProPublica. ProPublica reported that a single nine-day “island hopping” trip by Justice Thomas and his wife, which included a 162-foot superyacht, could have cost him over $500,000 if he had chartered the private jet he flew on and the yacht himself. Justice Thomas did not report the largess he received on his financial disclosure forms, which appears to violate federal law, according to ethics experts ProPublica spoke to. (Justice Thomas issued a non-apology of the “there is nothing to see here” variety.) How do you think these scandals impact the legitimacy and public trust of the Supreme Court?
Liberal critics of the court have pressured the Biden administration and Congress to take steps to try to move the court in a more left-leaning direction, including by adding more justices to the court or by limiting the tenure of justices or the jurisdiction of the court. Explain how changing the size and the tenure of court justices would impact public approval and confidence.
Make a claim about whether Justice Thomas should be impeached.
Considering the Justice Thomas scandal and the recent and unpopular ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, predict what will happen to the approval of the Supreme Court over the next year.
Learning Extension
Read the Gallup survey on Approval of the Supreme Court. Or check out this interactive guide to where the Supreme Court Justices sit during oral arguments.
Action Extension
Contact the Supreme Court and tell them how much trust you have in them.
General Contact Information:
U.S. Mail:
Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20543
Telephone: 202-479-3000
TTY: 202-479-3472
(Available M-F 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern)
They don’t do email!!!!!