NEW POLLING SHOWS 2020 BIDEN VOTERS SUPPORT SUPREME COURT EXPANSION BY A LARGE MARGIN
Support Grows Stronger with More Information
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 15, 2022) — New polling released today by Take Back the Court Action Fund shows that Supreme Court expansion is broadly popular among the 2020 Biden coalition — and that support grows quickly when they learn more information. And, when told that Republican-appointed justices have made up a majority of the Supreme Court for more than 50 years, a majority of ALL voters support expanding and rebalancing the Court.
This survey provides essential information for Democratic leaders — and the Biden administration — looking to unite the coalition in 2022 and 2024, especially as the President’s approval rating among Democrats has slipped. And it proves that leaders should be talking about expanding the Court: it’s a broadly popular policy among voters who elected President Biden that politicians can embrace to show they are actually fighting back against the unelected Court’s attack on our democracy, our rights, and our bodies.
The survey, which was conducted in conjunction with YouGov Blue, shows that while 2020 Biden voters support adding justices to the Supreme Court by a large margin (net support +45), that support grows even larger (net support +68 percent) when these voters learn about Republican dominance of the Court.
Roughly 60 percent of 2020 Biden voters embraced the five following reasons as good reasons to expand the Court:
To make the Court representative of all Americans (67 percent)
To rebalance the Court (63 percent)
To strengthen our democracy (62 percent)
To restore legitimacy to the Court (61 percent)
To put in place a Supreme Court that will protect voting rights and democracy (57 percent)
Notably, this research finds that even voters who currently somewhat disapprove of President Biden’s job performance (regardless of who they voted for in 2020) respond well to progressive criticism of the Supreme Court, including to messages that emphasize the role the Supreme Court plays in blocking progressive priorities and enforcing a right-wing agenda.
“Voters recognize this Court for what it is — an unelected arm of the increasingly radical Republican Party. And they’re fed up,” said Sarah Lipton-Lubet, executive director of Take Back the Court Action Fund. “Americans understand that expanding the Court is how we safeguard our rights and protect our democracy. Now it’s time for our leaders in Congress to get on board, pass the Judiciary Act of 2021, and finally restore balance and integrity to the Supreme Court.”
Among other key takeaways, the survey found:
2020 Biden Voters Strongly Disapprove of the Supreme Court: By an overwhelming margin, Biden 2020 voters disapprove of the job the Supreme Court is doing. Only 16 percent of these voters approve of the Court’s job performance, while 67 percent disapprove — including a near-majority, 48 percent, who strongly disapprove.
2020 Biden Voters Support Supreme Court Expansion: 60 percent of 2020 Biden voters support adding justices to the Supreme Court, while only 15 percent oppose expansion.
2020 Biden Voters Find Criticism of the Supreme Court’s Partisanship Convincing; Information About Republican Dominance of the Court Increases Support For Expansion: When told that Republicans have held a majority on the Court for more than 50 years, 84 percent of 2020 Biden voters — and a majority of all voters — support expanding and rebalancing the Court.
Biden Skeptics Agree With Progressive Criticisms of the Supreme Court And Support Expanding The Court When Told Of GOP Dominance: A plurality (41 percent) of Biden skeptics — those who somewhat disapprove of his job performance, but do not strongly disapprove — support Supreme Court expansion; only 28 percent oppose. This plurality becomes a strong majority (67 percent) when given information about Republican dominance of the Court.
See the full poll memo on Take Back the Court Action Fund’s website.