Poll: Most believe justices motivated by law, not politics

MADISON, Wis. – Nearly two-thirds of respondents to a new poll say U.S. Supreme Court justices base their decisions on the law rather than politics.

The Marquette University Law School poll released Monday found 64% of respondents said they believe the law, rather than politics, mostly motivates the justices’ decisions.

The survey also found that 71% of respondents favour fixed terms for justices. But 56% oppose increasing the number of justices on the court. Both ideas have been offered as ways to address increasing polarization over the court’s makeup.

The law school interviewed 1,423 adults nationwide in September about their confidence in the court. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.