EXCLUSIVE — The Supreme Court has faced public criticism in recent years over its decisions in hotly contested cases, but despite the vocal opposition, a majority of people still believe they can trust the high court to make the right decision, according to new polling.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty released its annual Religious Freedom Index on Friday, providing a glimpse at how the country feels about religious freedom. In its polling in the index, the group found 51% of those surveyed trust the Supreme Court to make the right decision, including 10% of U.S. adults who strongly trust the high court’s judgment and 41% who somewhat trust the justices to make the right decision.
Among the remaining 49% who said they distrust the Supreme Court to make the right ruling, 32% said they somewhat distrust the high court and 17% said they strongly distrust the judgment of the justices.
When asked if they trust or distrust the Supreme Court to make the right decision, specifically regarding religious liberty cases, 55% of adults surveyed said they trust the justices, including 11% who answered they strongly trust the high court. Yet 45% said they distrust the high court’s judgment on the matter, including 15% who said they strongly distrust the high court to make the right decision in religious liberty cases.
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“At a time when trust in our institutions often feels in short supply, it’s notable that a majority of Americans continue to trust the Supreme Court, particularly on religious liberty,” Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.
“The Court’s most recent term showed why that trust remains well placed. In its religious cases, the Court showed broad agreement on the importance of religious freedom and the right of all Americans to bring their faith into the public square,” she added.
Last term, the Supreme Court handed religious liberty advocates multiple significant wins, including in cases involving parental opt-outs for LGBT curriculum in schools and religious exemptions for state programs. The winning side in both cases, Mahmoud v. Taylor and Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, was backed by Becket.
This term, the high court heard arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, another case with religious liberty implications. Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor in Colorado, claimed that the state’s law banning “conversion therapy” unlawfully censors her ability to speak with children and families who seek her out by prohibiting her from trying to dissuade children from changing their gender identities or sexual orientations. She claims parents and children voluntarily seek out her counseling in part because of her Christian faith.
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Chiles argues it infringes on her First Amendment rights and says the state is pushing viewpoint discrimination, an argument that seemed to play well with the justices during oral arguments in October.
The Supreme Court is expected to release opinions in all its cases this term over the coming months, through the end of June.