Nearly Half Say US Supreme Court Driven by Ideology: Survey

Nearly half of Americans believe the US Supreme Court is deciding cases involving President Donald Trump’s policy agenda based on ideology rather than the law, according to a new Washington Post/Ipsos poll.

Poll highlights public concerns

The survey, conducted from July 8 to July 13 among 2,648 adults, found that 46% of respondents said the nine-member court bases its decisions on ideology when ruling on cases affecting Trump’s agenda.

By comparison, 25% said the justices decide such cases according to the law. Another 28% said they had no opinion, while 1% did not answer the question.

The findings come after a series of high-profile Supreme Court rulings that have both advanced and blocked key elements of Trump’s second-term agenda.

Mixed rulings on Trump policies

The court has handed Trump several significant setbacks. In February, it struck down emergency tariffs imposed on imports last year. It also invalidated his executive order restricting birthright citizenship, which he signed on his first day back in office.

At the same time, the court has also ruled in the president’s favour.

In one of its most consequential decisions, the court voted 6-3 to allow Trump to remove Democrat Rebecca Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission. The ruling, split along ideological lines, overturned the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor v. United States decision, ending a 91-year precedent that had provided certain independent federal agencies with protection from direct White House control.

The decision expands presidential authority over federal agencies.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing in dissent and joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, warned that the ruling would significantly alter the balance of power between the presidency and independent agencies.

She wrote that while the decision did not abolish the Federal Trade Commission or similar agencies, it would fundamentally transform them in ways their creators had sought to prevent, giving presidents greater authority than before.

After the Supreme Court concluded its term in late June, Trump described the Slaughter decision as the court’s “biggest and most consequential” ruling.

Approval remains divided

The survey also found broad dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court’s overall performance.

Overall, 55% of respondents said they disapproved of the way the court is doing its job, while just over four in 10 approved. Four percent did not express a view.

Opinions were sharply divided by political affiliation. Three-quarters of Democrats said they disapproved of the court, while 67% of Republicans said they approved. Among all respondents, just under six in 10 expressed disapproval.

The Washington Post/Ipsos poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

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21 July 2026