Supreme Court approval rating hits historic low as justices kick off 2022 term, poll finds

As the Supreme Court gavels into session for its 2022 term next week, a recent Gallup poll found only 40% of Americans approve of the job the justices are doing.

Fifty-eight percent of the survey’s respondents said they disapprove.

Only 47% overall said they had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the federal judiciary. According to Gallup, that’s a 20-point drop from two years ago.

The survey released on Thursday was conducted Sept. 1-16 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The Supreme Court will kick off its new term Monday after the previous term created quite a stir with an unprecedented leak of a draft opinion and the justices overturning national abortion rights.

And this year, they’ll take up more controversial cases in the coming months, weighing in on affirmative action, voting laws and religious liberty.

The Supreme Court’s oral arguments will also continue to be live streamed in the post-COVID-19 world, and seating will be available for the public and press inside the courtroom as it was before the pandemic hit, the high court announced this week.

It’s a sign the nation’s highest court is returning to a bit more of standard practice for the 2022 term after two years of the coronavirus pandemic that closed down the courtroom.

Although the court will be closed to the public for visits, there will be some seating available during arguments for observers.

Masking, though, will be optional. And a live audio feed of the arguments will be made available on the court’s website and also posted online for individuals to listen after a hearing concludes. Prior to the pandemic, there was no live audio of arguments.