Most Democrats would abolish the Supreme Court, an institution they described as “fundamentally racist” and “fundamentally sexist” in a new national poll.
Democrats’ anger at the court has grown dramatically in recent weeks after a leaked court opinion indicated the court majority was planning on overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 abortion precedent.
Democrats have been incensed by its perceived rightward shift since former President Donald Trump’s appointment of three justices gave conservatives a 6-3 advantage over the court’s liberal bloc.
‘Reimagine’ the Supreme Court
Calls to pack the court, expanding its membership to 13 from 9 where it has been since 1869, and to abolish the Senate filibuster to facilitate the packing, have grown among Democrats. Some Democrats say conservative justices should be prosecuted for perjury or impeached after allegedly implying during their confirmation hearings that they would not overturn Roe v. Wade, something the court did in fact do on June 24.“There is absolutely a movement afoot, principally among leftists and America’s youth, who desire to ‘reimagine’ the Supreme Court so that it will become nothing more than a rubber stamp for their radical agenda,” Chris Talgo, a senior editor at the conservative Arlington Heights, Illinois-based Heartland Institute, said in a statement.
Although only one-third (33 percent) of Democrats have a favorable opinion of the court, the American public overall is more confident in the court. Among likely voters regardless of affiliation, 52 percent had a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” opinion of the court. Among Republicans, 72 percent said they had a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” view of the court.
The Heartland-Rasmussen poll also unearthed other evidence of Democrats’ antipathy towards the court.
Although 55 percent of all likely voters say they oppose legislation increasing the size of the court to 13 justices, 64 percent of Democrats support the idea, compared with just 19 percent of Republicans and 37 percent of independents.
The survey found 53 percent of Democrats favored legislation that would “abolish the current Supreme Court and establish a new, democratically elected Supreme Court with justices chosen by the American people directly.” The 53 percent figure was broken down into 33 percent “strongly” favoring the proposal and 20 percent “somewhat” favoring it.
Giving Power to the United Nations
But survey respondents were asked about a proposed constitutional amendment that would eviscerate the power of the court by giving the United Nations “the authority to reverse U.S. Supreme Court decisions that U.N. members believe violate human rights.”Just 29 percent of respondents overall supported the idea, but 39 percent of Democrats, 50 percent of black Americans, and 48 percent of voters between the ages of 19 and 39 gave it a thumbs-up. Among Republicans, 17 percent supported the idea, compared to 30 percent of independents.
Although just 34 percent of likely voters agreed with the statement that the Supreme Court was a fundamentally racist institution, 56 percent of Democrats agreed with it. A mere 14 percent of Republicans and 29 percent of independents agreed with the statement.
Among likely voters, 41 percent agreed with the statement that the court is a fundamentally sexist institution that favors men over women. But 67 percent of Democrats, compared to 18 percent of Republicans and 36 of Independents agreed with it. A minority of women (48 percent) agreed that the court was fundamentally sexist.
Donald Kendall, a Heartland research fellow, said he was “shocked and dismayed” by the poll’s findings.
“How can an institution like the Supreme Court function properly when the majority of those who call themselves liberal think the Court is sexist and racist?” he said.
“I know our country has been divided in recent years; I’m starting to fear that division is becoming irreparable,” Kendall added.
