(FreedomBeacon.com)- A recent Gallup poll shows that trust in US institutions, including Congress, the White House, the news media, academia, and the judicial branch, is declining.
Gallup found that public approval of and confidence in the judicial branch has taken a significant hit over the last two years.
Less than half of respondents have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the judicial branch, a drop of 20 points from just two years ago.
The drop was most significant among Democrat respondents, whose trust in the judicial branch is half of what it was in 2021. Less than half of Democrats trust the judicial branch.
When you think about it, this tells you just how effective the media’s constant attacks on the court have been among Democrat voters.
Then again, you can’t spend the last two years screaming that the court is “illegitimate” and not drive down trust and confidence. If elected Democrats and their media propagandists are constantly accusing the 6-3 conservative majority court of being “extremists” and “far right,” the result is that some people are going to start believing them.
In a sense, public opinion is irrelevant when it comes to the judicial branch. It is the one branch of government whose members are not chosen by the people, nor is it influenced by the whims of popular opinion or the fate of the ballot box. The judicial branch answers only to the Constitution.
At the same time, the constant barrage of attacks from the media and elected Democrats has had the desired effect. It has further eroded trust in our system of government, and further divided the country.
Last month, in his first public appearance since the Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Chief Justice John Roberts expressed concern over those questioning the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.
Speaking at a conference in Colorado Springs, Roberts defended the authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, arguing that its legitimacy shouldn’t be questioned simply because some people disagree with the Court’s decisions.
Roberts said neither the political branches nor public opinion should be a guide for what is an “appropriate decision.” He said if the Court isn’t able to “retain its legitimate function of interpreting the Constitution,” nobody would want to “take up that mantle.”
But that is precisely what the Democrats and the media want.