Friday, July 5th, 2013 @ 2:28PM

Between the Lines
by Gary D. Halbert

The US Supreme Court finished its 2013 term with landmark decisions on voting rights, affirmative action and same-sex marriage. Following those rulings, public approval of the Court has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded. As usual, you probably haven’t heard anything about this in the mainstream media.

A new Rasmussen Reports national survey on June 28-29 found that just 28% of Americans believe the Supreme Court is doing a “good” or “excellent” job. At the same time, 30% rate the Court’s performance as “poor.” That’s the highest-ever poor rating. Another 39% gave the Court only a “fair” rating in light of the recent decisions. It’s also the first time ever that the poor rating exceeded the positive assessments.

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE WAY THE SUPREME COURT IS DOING ITS JOB?

          Excellent   8%; Good   20%;  Fair  39%;  Poor    30%;  Not Sure   3% 

To put the new ratings in context, these numbers are even weaker than those recorded following last year’s Supreme Court ruling upholding ObamaCare.

Last year, just before the Court heard arguments on ObamaCare, the Court’s approval rating was about the same as today; however, its disapproval rating was far lower than it is today. By the time the ObamaCare arguments ended, many believed the Court would overturn the unpopular healthcare law, and positive ratings for the Court shot up to 41%, the highest level in years.

However, when the Court eventually upheld ObamaCare, the approval numbers plunged again. Just 29% offered a positive review of the High Court after the landmark ObamaCare decision. With the latest round of decisions, the approval rating is even lower.

By comparison, when the Supreme Court ended its 2009 session, 48% thought the justices were doing a good or an excellent job. The numbers have been all downhill since then. During 2010 and 2011, the ratings were in the mid-30s. Now, the good/excellent rating has sagged to only 28%. Scott Rasmussen concludes:

“Looking back over the past four years, the changes have been remarkable. Following the 2009 court session, 48% of conservatives gave the court good marks. So did 51% of moderates and 46% of liberals. Since then, approval among conservatives has fallen by 32 points to 16%. Positive reviews among moderates have fallen 21 points to 30%. However, the numbers among liberals are unchanged.”

Isn’t that interesting! The Supreme Court’s approval among conservatives and moderates has plunged over the last four years, while approval among liberals has remained steady at 46%. Since the liberal approval has remained steady, that tells us that the Court has moved to the left (more on this below). As a result, the Supreme Court’s disapproval rating is the highest in history following the latest round of decisions.

Clearly, the Court’s decision on the “Voting Rights Act of 1965” was a big disappointment to those on the left and even some moderates. The Court’s decision freed nine states (including Texas) to change their election laws without advance federal approval.

Likewise, the Court’s decision to strike down the “Defense of Marriage Act” was very unpopular among conservatives and even many moderates. That decision essentially recognized gay marriage by making federal benefits available to “same-sex” couples.

These two controversial decisions, alone, angered people on both sides of the political divide. While the Court’s approval rating was already falling, the latest decisions pushed the overall approval rating to a new all-time low.

Finally, as noted above, the supposedly non-political Supreme Court has clearly moved to the left over the last few years. This movement has occurred entirely on the watch of Chief Justice John Roberts who was sworn in on September 29, 2005.

Chief Justice Roberts was nominated to the Court by President George W. Bush and was widely thought to be a conservative who believed in the “strict interpretation” of the Constitution. He has since proved otherwise.

Roberts has not adhered to the premise that the Supreme Court should never veer from a “strict interpretation” of the Constitution. He has apparently succumbed to the progressive view that the Constitution is a “living document” that can be adapted periodically as need be. To me, that is very sad!

His landmark vote to uphold Obamacare was the pinnacle of his tenure on the Court. In my opinion, and that of most conservatives, John Roberts has proven to be the most disappointing Chief Justice in a very long time.

And keep in mind that Chief Justice Roberts is only 57 years old.  He could possibly rule the Supreme Court for another 30 years or more, long after many of us are gone.

Posted by AIA Research & Editorial Staff
Categories: Between the Lines
Tags: DOMA, Supreme Court, supreme court approval, voting rights act