New polling reveals broad public support for reining in the Supreme Court, cutting across traditional partisan lines in a rare show of bipartisan agreement.
A Strength In Numbers and Verasight poll found that 65% of Americans support introducing term limits for Supreme Court justices, replacing the current system of lifetime appointments.
The findings are particularly striking given that Republicans have appointed six of the Court’s nine sitting justices, yet a majority of their own voters back structural reform.
Support for term limits reaches 78% among Democrats, while independents back the measure at 61% and Republicans at 56%, representing majorities across all three groups.
That level of cross-partisan agreement is exceptionally rare in today’s deeply divided political climate, where most major policy questions split sharply along party lines.
A separate Annenberg Public Policy Center poll found that 69% of Americans favour setting a specific number of years that Supreme Court justices can serve, rather than allowing lifetime tenure.
Public confidence in the institution has fallen to historic lows, with only 22% of voters saying they have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the Court.
The Court has faced sustained criticism in recent years over polarising rulings, high-profile ethics scandals, and deeply contentious confirmation battles that have fuelled perceptions of political bias.
Many observers argue the Court has drifted from its role as an independent arbiter of constitutional law and increasingly reflects the priorities of one political faction over another.
Reform advocates say the polling underscores a growing public appetite for structural changes that would make the Court more accountable and better reflect the broader will of the American people.
The debate over Supreme Court reform has intensified in recent years, with proposals ranging from term limits and ethics codes to expanding the number of justices sitting on the bench.
Whether Congress moves to act on public sentiment remains uncertain, but the consistency of polling results across multiple surveys suggests the pressure for reform is unlikely to ease any time soon.