The Stability and Durability of the US Supreme Court’s Legitimacy

Is support for the US Supreme Court stable over time? Recent studies present conflicting evidence about the extent to which dissatisfaction with the Court’s performance affects its public support. Drawing on a four-year panel study of Americans’ support for the Supreme Court, we demonstrate that the Court’s support has been remarkably stable in the aggregate, although there has been systematic change at the individual level. These individual-level changes are related to respondents’ satisfaction with the Court’s performance and their political orientations. The results both confirm and challenge conventional wisdom, emphasizing the importance of studying individual-level change in attitudes even in the face of aggregate stability.