Poll says most Americans believe the Supreme Court avoids ruling against Trump

Americans say Supreme Court sidesteps rulings against Trump

A new Marquette Law School poll shows 57 percent of Americans believe the Supreme Court wants to avoid rulings against President Trump. This figure stayed the same since January polling despite the court striking down Trump’s tariff policies.

Two-thirds of adults approved of the February decision, saying Trump lacked authority for sweeping tariffs. The public sees a gap between judicial actions and perceived willingness to confront the president.

Survey reveals public skepticism about judicial independence

The April 2026 Marquette Law School Poll interviewed 982 adults nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Survey fieldwork occurred from April 8 to April 16.

Results indicate persistent public skepticism about whether the Supreme Court would issue a ruling President Trump might refuse to obey. Most respondents still see the court as cautious around the forty-seventh president despite recent adverse rulings.

February tariff decision did not shift public perception significantly

The Supreme Court ruled in February that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize President Trump to impose the tariffs at issue in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump. This ruling represented a notable defeat for White House trade policy.

Despite this loss, a majority of Americans still think justices avoid decisions that Trump might refuse to obey, according to fresh polling data. Public approval of the tariff ruling reached two-thirds among surveyed adults nationwide.

Fifty-seven percent think court avoids rulings Trump could ignore

Exactly 57 percent of respondents believe the court wants to avoid making judgments that Trump could potentially disregard as executive authority. This percentage remained unchanged from January polling conducted earlier this year.

The consistency suggests deep-seated public doubt about judicial willingness to confront presidential overreach during this administration. Partisan divides remain sharp on this question across political affiliations nationwide.

Democrats overwhelmingly say court avoids ruling against Trump

Seventy-nine percent of Democratic respondents said the Supreme Court is going out of its way to avoid making a ruling that President Trump might refuse to obey, according to April 2026 Marquette data. This represents the highest level of concern among the partisan groups surveyed.

Democrats show a strong belief that the court is avoiding a direct confrontation with the president. Their perspective contrasts sharply with Republican views on judicial behavior and neutrality.

Majority of Republicans say court is not avoiding Trump rulings

Sixty-seven percent of Republicans said the court is not going out of its way to avoid making a ruling that President Trump might refuse to obey in the April 2026 Marquette survey. About one-third of Republicans said the court is avoiding such rulings.

This partisan split reveals how political affiliation shapes perceptions of judicial independence and motivation. Republicans trust the court more than Democrats do regarding equitable treatment of presidential actions.

Independents split with majority seeing avoidance behavior

Sixty-six percent of independents said the court is going out of its way to avoid making a ruling that President Trump might refuse to obey, according to April 2026 Marquette data. Independents fall between Democrats and Republicans on this question about judicial motives.

Their position suggests moderate voters share concerns about court neutrality but less intensely than Democratic respondents. This middle ground position matters significantly for overall national polling averages.

Fun fact: The U.S. Congress officially created the Justice Department in 1870. However, its work began much earlier, in 1789, when the job of Attorney General was first created.

Nearly 70 percent want birthright citizenship order ruled unconstitutional

Nearly 70 percent of adults want the Court to rule Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order unconstitutional, according to the April Marquette poll. This pending case represents another potential confrontation between the judiciary and the executive branch.

Trump has predicted the Supreme Court will rule against him in the birthright citizenship case. Public opinion strongly favors limiting presidential authority on this citizenship question.

Federal Reserve case also awaits Supreme Court decision soon

The Supreme Court has also heard arguments in Trump v. Cook, a case involving President Trump’s attempt to remove a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. This represents another area where executive authority faces potential judicial limits soon.

The court heard arguments on tariff challenges in November before issuing its February ruling against Trump’s use of emergency powers. Future cases will test how the justices approach limits on presidential authority.ill test whether justices continue limiting presidential executive power aggressively.

Fun fact: The Supreme Court really didn’t have a fully functional home until 1935. 

Supreme Court approval slipped from 50 percent to 43 percent

Approval of the court is on a downward slope based on the Marquette Law School Poll national survey, with 42 percent giving positive ratings in April. Court approval fell from 50 percent in September to 44 percent in January before April.

This decline occurred primarily among Republican respondents, whose approval fell after the tariff ruling against Trump. Independents and Democrats became slightly more approving of the court during the same period.

Most Americans believe presidents must follow Supreme Court rulings

A Marquette Law School poll finds 84 percent of Americans believe presidents must follow Supreme Court rulings, with views split on judicial politics. More than three-quarters of Republicans, Democrats, and independents each say presidents must obey the court.

Only 16 percent say the president has the power to ignore a court ruling, according to September 2025 survey data released in October. This overwhelming consensus supports constitutional supremacy despite concerns about enforcement.

Public doubts judicial independence during Trump second term

Public support for SCOTUS has slipped during Trump’s second term based on Marquette Law School Poll national surveys conducted in 2025 and 2026. Approval of the court fell from 54 percent in March 2025 to 42 percent in April 2026.

The April decline was concentrated among Republicans, even as independents and Democrats became slightly more approving. Overall trends show declining confidence in judicial institutional strength over time.

Check out how Trump’s illegal tariffs could end up bloating U.S. debt by $1.7 trillion matters beyond Washington.

Perception contrast remains between rulings and public trust in the court

The poll results paint a complex picture of American attitudes toward judicial independence during this Republican presidency. While two-thirds supported the tariff decision, 57 percent still believe the court wants to avoid rulings that Trump might refuse to obey.

This perception gap matters for constitutional governance and public faith in an impartial justice system. Future rulings on birthright citizenship and Federal Reserve cases will test whether public expectations match reality.

Trump faces renewed scrutiny over trade policy as economists point to higher prices and weaker growth.

Do you agree with the poll about Trump? Like if you have a take and share your thoughts in the comments.

This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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