Supreme Court Capability 11-7-25

The question of whether the U.S. Supreme Court is "capable of doing its job" in 2025 is a subject of intense public and political debate, with no single, objective answer. The Court is actively hearing and deciding major cases, but public opinion is sharply divided along partisan lines regarding its effectiveness and impartiality.  

Indicators of Capability

Active Docket: The Court is fully operational, hearing significant and complex cases on issues ranging from executive power and voting rights to workplace law and gender-affirming care. This demonstrates the Court's continued adherence to its fundamental duty of deciding legal disputes.

Decisions Issued: The Court has continued to issue numerous rulings, with some decisions even garnering bipartisan or unanimous support on specific legal questions.

Judicial Structure: The fundamental structure of the Court, with life tenure designed to ensure judicial independence, remains in place, allowing justices to make decisions without direct political pressure for re-election. 

Challenges and Criticisms

Record-Low Public Approval: Public confidence in the Supreme Court is near historic lows. A Gallup poll from September 2025 found that only 42% of Americans approve of the job the Court is doing, while 52% disapprove.

Deep Partisan Divide: Opinions on the Court's capability are heavily polarized. As of late 2025, 79% of Republicans approved of the Court's performance, compared to just 14% of Democrats. This reflects a widespread perception, particularly among Democrats, that the Court's conservative majority is influenced by personal politics rather than impartial legal interpretation.

Ideological Rulings and "Shadow Docket": The Court has faced significant criticism for a perceived increase in 6-3 ideological splits in major cases and for its frequent use of the "emergency" or "shadow" docket to issue significant rulings with little to no oral argument or detailed explanation.

Ethics and Legitimacy Concerns: Ongoing debates surrounding judicial ethics and calls for a formal enforcement mechanism have contributed to a narrative that the Court is not sufficiently accountable, further impacting public trust.

Political Confrontations: The current term is particularly contentious, marked by high-stakes cases involving the scope of presidential power, which have thrust the justices into direct political confrontations and fueled concerns about the nation's democratic governance. 

Ultimately, the Court is performing its core function of hearing and deciding cases, but it is operating amid unprecedented political tension and public skepticism about its impartiality and capacity to function above the political fray. 

The question of whether the U.S. Supreme Court is "capable of doing its job" in 2025 is a subject of intense public and political debate, with views heavily influenced by partisan perspectives and the controversial nature of the cases it is handling. The Court continues to function and issue rulings on major, consequential issues, but public opinion polls show a deeply divided public and historically low favorability ratings. 

Key factors and current public sentiment include:

Deep Partisan Divide: The perception of the Court's capability and job performance is highly polarized. A September 2025 Gallup poll showed that 79% of Republicans approved of the Court's job performance, compared to only 14% of Democrats. This 65-point gap is the largest in Gallup's history of tracking the Court's approval.

Low Public Approval Ratings: Overall public approval of the Court remains near historic lows. In mid-2025, job approval ratings generally hovered in the low 40% range, with a low of 39% in July 2025, according to Gallup. Half of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion, according to an August 2025 Pew Research Center survey.

Highly Political and Consequential Docket: The 2024-2025 and ongoing 2025-2026 terms are described as "consequential" and "tumultuous," featuring cases on highly contentious issues such as executive power, voting rights, gender-affirming care, gun control, and religious liberty. The Court's 6-3 conservative majority has delivered transformative rulings that have a significant impact on American law and society.

"Shadow Docket" Concerns: Critics have expressed concern over the increased use of the "shadow docket" (emergency orders and summary decisions without full arguments), which some argue is used to issue significant rulings without touching on the full merits, further contributing to the perception of a politically driven, rather than purely judicial, institution.

Focus on the Law vs. Political Outcomes: Supporters often view the Court as returning to principles of originalism and constitutional fidelity, reining in the power of the executive branch and federal agencies. Critics view the same decisions as a rollback of established rights and protections, with outcomes that align with a far-right political agenda. 

Ultimately, the Court continues to carry out its function of hearing cases and issuing binding decisions, but a significant portion of the public, particularly Democrats and independents, views its capability through a lens of deep skepticism and partisan division.

https://www.google.com/search?q=is+the+us+supreme+court+capable+of+doing+their+job+2025

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader