Trust in Supreme Court Plummets to 41% As Americans Cling to Constitutional Values

Checks and Balances Still Sacred to Citizens Despite Deep Political Divisions

PHILADELPHIA — A new national survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center reveals that while public trust in key institutions like the Supreme Court and Congress is fading, Americans across party lines overwhelmingly support the Constitution’s system of checks and balances that limits presidential authority.

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📉 Trust in the Supreme Court Hits a Low

• Just 41% of Americans now trust the U.S. Supreme Court—a sharp fall from 68% in 2019.
• Nearly 1 in 3 (32%) say they have “no trust at all” in the Court.
• Since May 2024, the share of Americans with low or no trust has jumped from 55% to 59%.

Yet support for judicial oversight of the presidency is surging. “People want the president to listen to the Supreme Court and they think that our system of government requires the president to do so,” notes APPC research analyst Shawn Patterson Jr., in a statement.

This skepticism extends beyond the judiciary. While medical scientists (73%), the military (72%), and scientists (71%) maintain high levels of public trust, government institutions rank near the bottom. The President (40%), elected officials (36%), and Congress (32%) all score poorly, with only business leaders (30%) faring worse.

Most Americans (60%) believe the country is “seriously off on the wrong track” and expect the economy to worsen over the next year (54%).

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🚫 Most Reject Unchecked Presidential Power

The vast majority of Americans believe the president should not act without limits:

• 66% say presidents should not ignore court rulings—even if they disagree.
• 67% oppose appointing judges without Senate approval.
• 60% reject bypassing Congress to enact policies.

Even among Republicans, only a minority support such powers:

• 27% think it’s OK to ignore court rulings
• 31% approve of judge appointments without Senate input
• 33% favor executive policymaking without Congress

“Americans do not think the president should have the ability to act unconstrained by the courts and Congress,” explains Matt Levendusky, director of APPC’s Institutions of Democracy division and a Penn political science professor. “Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike believe that the courts and Congress should be able to check the president’s actions.”

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⚖️ Courts Still Respected—Despite Criticism

While trust in the Court has dropped, Americans still value its role:

• 84% say courts play a vital role in government
• 58% believe courts help prevent abuse of power

However, public confidence in justices’ impartiality and ethics has dropped sharply:

• Only 37% trust justices to decide cases without personal bias
• Justices’ ethics ratings have slid from 72% positive in 2006 to just 44% today

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📉 Jury Service Declines, But Boosts Trust

Serving on a jury is linked to greater trust in the legal system—but fewer Americans are getting the chance:

• In 2025, only 35% were called for jury duty, and just 4% served
• That’s down from 41% called and 8% served in 2020

“The courts play an important role in educating the citizenry about the importance of the judiciary in our system of government,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Overall, the findings suggest that while Americans may have lost faith in current government institutions, they remain committed to the constitutional principles those institutions were designed to uphold. This paradox—declining trust in government bodies coupled with strong support for the system of checks and balances—offers both challenges and opportunities for strengthening American democracy.

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