More believe that President Joe Biden is playing politics with his look at reforming the Supreme Court, including packing in new judges, and think a better place to make changes is in Congress and the White House.
In a clear rejection of court reforms being studied by Biden’s Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, a new poll provided to Secrets found that the public views the court as a “co-equal” branch that should not be messed with.
A key finding of the Mason-Dixon survey for the First Liberty Institute was the rejection of “court-packing” wishes of Democrats to overcome the power of conservatives on the high court.
By more than a 2-to-1 margin, registered voters opposed court packing, 64% to 28%.
Other “reforms” were rejected by even wider margins.
And when asked if the idea of Biden’s commission was wise or a “political vehicle to justify weakening the Supreme Court to advance the agenda of Democratic politicians,” 47% said weakening while 42% said it was an independent effort to improve the court.
The survey was provided to Secrets just days before the next meeting of the commission.
“It’s what the political class is not discussing that I think is most interesting,” First Liberty’s Jeremy Dys said. “The American people seem to believe that the judiciary is a co-equal branch of government. Most believe (47%) the Presidential Commission on SCOTUS is purely political, meant to degrade the judiciary and advance the agenda of the Democrats. Fully 55% of those surveyed believe the presidential commission will not adequately represent their views on court reform.”
Dys also pointed to other results that voters want Biden to appoint commissions to study reforms at the White House and Congress.
When asked to rank which of the three branches need reform most, 60% picked Congress, followed by 15% choosing the White House and 14% the courts.
“Perhaps the story is that those in the executive and legislative branches calling for reform of the judicial branch ought to tend to their own house instead,” Dys said.
