Not So Supreme Court

AP US Government and Politics

Do more Americans have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court?

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

AP US Government and Politics

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. How surprised are you by this information?

3. What trend do you see in the chart?

4. List two explanations for this trend:

5. What is a consequence of this trend?

6. If this current trend continues, when will the Court's unfavorable ratings surpass its favorable ratings?

7. 62 % of Democrats have a favorable opinion of the Court, while only 33 % of Republicans do. Considering that before Justice Scalia's death, 5 of the 9 Justices were Republican appointees, and the Supreme Court Chief Justice was appointed by Republican, George W. Bush, what explains this partisan divide?

8. How do you think Donald Trump's appointment of Brett Kavanaugh has affected American's opinions of the Supreme Court?

9. How did Americans' feelings about the U.S. Supreme Court impact the 2016 elections?

10. Explain one way the declining popularity of the Supreme Court does not impact the court.

11. Explain one way the declining popularity of the Supreme Court does impact the court.

12. In the comments section, describe your opinion of the Supreme Court:

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Learning Extension

Read the entire Pew Report on American views of the Supreme Court.

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Action Extension

John Roberts is the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice. Contact him and explain one thing he could do to improve the favorability of the U.S. Supreme Court:

Supreme Court With Dogs Extension