This will surprise most: PEW Research polling shows a declining favorability for the High Court, but, still, the Court has the highest ratings of any branch of government.

It appears that Obama's "war against the High Court" may be another ill-advised strategy (there have been so many) in view of the latest in PEW Research polling.  The so-called "conservative Court" has an approval rating of 52% and this opinion is consistent across party lines.  There is not a partisan divide when it comes to the High Court.  But,  of course,  Obama has not had time to unleash on that institution.  Give him a couple of months.   I am sure he will try to "get even" if the Court takes down his poorly thought out societal reformation act,  or as is popularly known,  ObamaCare.  Surely, "fundamental transformation" cannot be considered complete if  the Supreme Court is left intact.

At any rate,  whether Democrat,  Republican or Independents,  the opinion of the Court is substantially the same . . . . . and that is a good thing.  In the minds of so many,  the question of "constitutionality" is the same as that of "compliance with existing law."  And in that mistaken equation,  the Court often gets branded as being either "too liberal" or "too conservative."  Understand this:  if a matter of compliance to an existing "liberal law" is brought before the Court,  its subsequent judgment is more than likely to appear to be "liberal,"  because the law is borne of a liberal politic. In this instance,  only "compliance or consistency" is being judged.    Not all "liberal ideas" are perversely "unconstitutional."  But,  when a law,  itself,  is brought before the Court,  then "constitutionality" is the larger consideration.  I think we would all be surprised if we ran research as to those decisions that were actually limited to constitutionality concerns versus the number of issues having to do with compliance to existing [liberal/conservative] law.  I would wager that the Court spends far less time as to the actual constitutional issues of law than it does with compliance issues.     But, hey,  I am a retired carpenter,  so what do I really know?
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Public assessments of the Supreme Court have reached a quarter-century low. Unlike evaluations over much of the past decade, there is very little partisan divide. The court receives relatively low favorable ratings from Republicans, Democrats and independents alike.

The survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted April 4-15, 2012 among 1,514 adults nationwide, finds 52% offering a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court, down from 58% in 2010 and the previous low of 57%, in 2005 and 2007. About three-in-ten (29%) say they have an unfavorable view, which approaches the high reached in 2005 (30%).

Declining Ratings across Party Lines

There are virtually no partisan differences in views of the Supreme Court: 56% of Republicans, and 52% of both Democrats and independents rate the Supreme Court favorably. And the decline in court ratings has occurred across party lines over the past three years. In April 2009, soon after Barack Obama took office, 70% of Republicans, 63% of Democrats, and 64% of independents held a favorable opinion of the court.

Republican ratings fell steeply between 2009 and 2010, with the appointments of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the court. Democratic ratings remained relatively high through 2010, but have fallen steeply since.

The weak ratings for the court across party lines stands in contrast to most previous polls, in which those in the president’s party have viewed the Supreme Court more favorably than those in the opposite party. Most recently, throughout George W. Bush’s administration, Republicans felt much more favorably toward the Supreme Court than did Democrats. In July 2007, 73% of Republicans rated the court favorably, compared with 49% of Democrats. This divide began even before Bush took office, triggered by the Supreme Court’s Bush v. Gore ruling. In early January 2001, 80% of Republicans viewed the court favorably, compared with 62% of Democrats.

http://www.people-press.org/2012/05/01/supreme-court-favorability-reaches-new-low/?src=prc-headline