Is the US Supreme Court Popular?
2020-08-11
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1At a time when other branches of government are relatively unpopular in the United States, public approval of the Supreme Court has risen.
2A new public opinion study shows that public approval of the high court is at its highest level in more than 10 years.
3The Gallup research company released the findings on Wednesday.
4It found that 58 percent of Americans approve of the way the Supreme Court is doing its job.
5The court's approval rating has been around 50 percent for many years.
6The current approval rating is much higher than the other two branches of the federal government: the president and Congress.
7The most recent Gallup surveys found that about 41 percent of Americans approve of the job done by the president while 18 percent approve of the way Congress is doing its job.
8The Supreme Court has nine members.
9The court is currently split between five conservative justices and four liberals.
10Its five to four rulings on politically charged issues receive the most attention.
11But many of the court's decisions are reached unanimously or with six or more justices ruling in agreement.
12Gallup researchers completed questioning for the latest survey between July 1 and 23.
13It followed one of the most consequential Supreme Court terms in recent years.
14During that time, the justices ruled in a series of important cases.
15The court dismissed an attempt by the administration of President Donald Trump to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program.
16It also ruled against a Louisiana anti-abortion law, and expanded anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ workers.
17In addition, the court ruled that states cannot bar religious schools from receiving financial aid meant for private schools.
18It decided that Catholic school teachers cannot launch legal action against their employers for discrimination.
19And, it ruled that employers are not required to provide birth control in their employees' health plans.
20July 9 was the final day of the Supreme Court's term.
21The justices ruled on subpoenas for President Trump's financial records.
22The court ruled that Trump is not immune from a New York state investigation into his finances.
23But the justices blocked efforts by Congress to get the business records of the president and his family.
24Gabe Roth is executive director of the not-for-profit group Fix the Court.
25He said Americans often base their ideas of the court on only a few well-known cases.
26He added that Americans often ignore many other actions that receive little or no attention.
27I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1At a time when other branches of government are relatively unpopular in the United States, public approval of the Supreme Court has risen. 2A new public opinion study shows that public approval of the high court is at its highest level in more than 10 years. 3The Gallup research company released the findings on Wednesday. It found that 58 percent of Americans approve of the way the Supreme Court is doing its job. The court's approval rating has been around 50 percent for many years. 4The current approval rating is much higher than the other two branches of the federal government: the president and Congress. The most recent Gallup surveys found that about 41 percent of Americans approve of the job done by the president while 18 percent approve of the way Congress is doing its job. 5The Supreme Court has nine members. The court is currently split between five conservative justices and four liberals. 6Its five to four rulings on politically charged issues receive the most attention. But many of the court's decisions are reached unanimously or with six or more justices ruling in agreement. 7Gallup researchers completed questioning for the latest survey between July 1 and 23. It followed one of the most consequential Supreme Court terms in recent years. During that time, the justices ruled in a series of important cases. 8The court dismissed an attempt by the administration of President Donald Trump to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program. It also ruled against a Louisiana anti-abortion law, and expanded anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ workers. 9In addition, the court ruled that states cannot bar religious schools from receiving financial aid meant for private schools. It decided that Catholic school teachers cannot launch legal action against their employers for discrimination. And, it ruled that employers are not required to provide birth control in their employees' health plans. 10July 9 was the final day of the Supreme Court's term. The justices ruled on subpoenas for President Trump's financial records. The court ruled that Trump is not immune from a New York state investigation into his finances. But the justices blocked efforts by Congress to get the business records of the president and his family. 11Gabe Roth is executive director of the not-for-profit group Fix the Court. He said Americans often base their ideas of the court on only a few well-known cases. He added that Americans often ignore many other actions that receive little or no attention. 12I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 13Masood Farivar reported this story for VOANews. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 14__________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16branch - n. a division or part of a large, complex organization 17unanimously - adv. done without disagreement, with all in agreement 18consequential - adj. important 19LGBTQ - adj.(acronym) describing people with non-traditional sexual identities (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-sexual, Queer) 20subpoena - n. (legal) a court order requiring that evidence be provided 21immune - adj. to have protection from something that is required of most people by law 22And follow us on Facebook.