Low public confidence in Supreme Court as Breyer retires

By HANNAH FINGERHUT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Stephen Breyer’s impending retirement from the Supreme Court gives President Joe Biden his first pick at a time when the public has increasingly negative views of the high court. The shift in recent years has followed former President Donald Trump’s seating of three justices who gave the court a 6-3 conservative bent on most contentious issues. In September, a Gallup poll found that 54% of Americans had “a great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the Supreme Court, down from 67% in 2020. The 2021 General Social Survey also suggests confidence in the court is among its lowest points in the last half century.