From the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press:

“With an aging Supreme Court possibly facing major changes, the court’s public image has eroded significantly. Currently, 57 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court, with 30 percent expressing an unfavorable view. In the past, favorable views of the court typically surpassed 70 percent; even in January 2001, shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling deciding the contentious presidential election, 68 percent expressed a positive opinion of the court.

“Two very different factors are contributing to the court’s lower standing with the public. Democrats turned more negative toward the Supreme Court in the wake of its controversial decision in Bush v. Gore. Positive opinions of the court among Democrats fell from 78 percent in May 1997 to 61 percent in January 2001. Democratic support for the court has continued to ebb, and now stands at 51 percent.

“But much of the recent decline in positive views of the court has come among conservative Republicans. Favorable opinions of the Supreme Court among both conservative Republicans and white evangelical Protestants have declined by about 20 points since January 2001. An analysis of the poll finds that Republicans who want the court to take a tougher stand against abortion rights are more dissatisfied with the court than Republicans who do not….

“Overall, 47 percent of the public says the selection of the next Supreme Court justice is very important to them personally, up from 38 percent in March. But at this point, the issue is mainly of interest to the extreme wings of each political party. Fully six-in-ten conservative Republicans (61 percent), and the same number of liberal Democrats, attach great importance to the selection of the next nominee. That compares with just four-in-ten conservative and moderate Democrats, and about the same number of moderate and liberal Republicans (38 percent).

“On what is likely to be a pivotal issue in a Supreme Court nomination battle -¡ abortion rights -¡ the public continues to strongly oppose the complete overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision. By 63 percent-30 percent, the public rejects the idea of completely overturning the 1973 decision establishing a woman’s right to abortion. That margin has remained stable for more than a decade.

“In many ways, the political divide over that landmark court decision reflects the battle lines over the court’s future. Solid majorities in most demographic groups oppose completely overturning the Roe v. Wade decision, but opposition is greatest among liberal Democrats (82 percent) and seculars (82 percent).

“Conservative Republicans are by far the most supportive of overturning the Roe v. Wade decision (62 percent). This represents a deep division within the Republican base, as Republicans who describe themselves as moderate or liberal favor maintaining Roe v. Wade by a 71 percent to 25 percent margin. The only other major group in which a majority favors completely overturning Roe v. Wade is white evangelical Protestants (52 percent).

“Dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court among Republicans is closely tied to views about Roe v. Wade. The roughly half of Republicans who would like to see the abortion decision overturned are twice as likely as their counterparts who support the status quo to give the Court an unfavorable rating (33 percent vs. 16 percent)….

“Fully three-quarters of Republican opponents of the Roe decision (76 percent) want Bush to appoint a justice who will make the court more conservative, compared with just 33 percent of Republican supporters of Roe….

“The new Pew survey finds further evidence of public dissatisfaction with Congress. About half of Americans (49 percent) express a favorable opinion of Congress, a decline from 56 percent a year ago and the lowest mark since the 1999 impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton (48 percent in January 1999).

“Views of Congress remain partisan, but the decline in congressional favorability has come among members of both parties. The shift has been greatest among those at either end of the political spectrum. Just three-in-ten liberal Democrats (31 percent) have a positive view of Congress, down from 53 percent last June. Conservative Republicans also are less happy with Congress; 58 percent have a favorable opinion of Congress, compared with 70 percent a year ago.

“Positive opinions of the Republican Party have slipped since the end of last year. Currently, 48 percent have a favorable opinion of the GOP, with 44 percent unfavorable. In December 2004, positive opinions of the Republican Party outnumbered negative ones by 52 percent-42 percent. Over the same period, ratings for the Democratic Party have been stable (53 percent then/52 percent now)….”