WASHINGTON- A new poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News shows that only 44% of Americans think that the Supreme Court justices are deciding fairly on cases. The poll suggests that more than half of the public thinks that the Justices' decisions are based on personal and political bias, rather than evidence and facts limited to the case.
The New York Times says "Just one in eight Americans said the justices decided cases based only on legal analysis."
CBS News deduced that poll numbers indicate that 55% of Americans feel the Justices political affiliations as well as personal views will play a key role in the health care decision. According to the polls 48% of republicans, 56% democrats and 57% independents, with a margin of error of three percent points, say that the Obama Case decision will not be decided on purely legal analysis, as reported by CBS News.
The polls indicate a steady decline in people's trust of the court. The approval rates for the Supreme Courts witnessed a steady decline in its approval particularly since the case of Bush v. Gore. The 2000 case between former President Bush and Democratic fore-runner Al Gore, not only determined the 2000 presidential elections, but was also landmark in showcasing to the American public the political and ideological divide among the Justices. That year the courts approval rating dropped to 50%. In the 1980s Justices had an approval rating of 66%.
The recent campaign finance case in which the Supreme Court ruled that cooperation's can donate an unlimited amount of money to candidates, only proved to worsen the reputation of the country's apex court in the eyes of its people. According to Democracy Now, the decision was "the worst Supreme Court decision since the Dred Scott case justifying slavery."
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the health care sometime this month.
