The Supreme Court's historically low approval ratings: 4 theories

ObamaCare protesters outside the Supreme Court: Thanks, in part, to a recent series of highly politicized hearings, the Supreme Court is losing support among Americans.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

last updated January 8, 2015

The Supreme Court's favorability rating is at a 25-year low, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center. The survey shows that only 52 percent of Americans view the court favorably, and while Congress can only dream of such a stratospheric number, the court enjoyed an 80 percent approval rating as recently as 1994. Remarkably, a roughly equal percentage of Democrats and Republicans approve of the court, a rare show of agreement in this age of hyper-partisanship. Here, four theories about why the Supreme Court's popularity is waning:

1. The court has become increasingly politicized

The downward approval trend reflects the perception that the court is no longer a disinterested, apolitical protector of the Constitution, but is instead influenced by party and ideology. The court in recent years has increasingly been drawn into the political arena, and President Obama has singled it out for criticism on several occasions. The president has taken particular umbrage at Citizens United, a decision that allowed unlimited corporate spending in elections.