Approval of Supreme Court, Congress hits record party-line division

The split between Republicans and Democrats’ approval of the Supreme Court and Congress has widened to unprecedented levels, according to a July Gallup poll.

Gallup reported that the two political parties’ opinions on the Supreme Court are now separated by 64 percentage points. Seventy-five percent of Republicans approve of the Supreme Court, compared with 11% of Democrats. The 2025 gap exceeds the previous record of 61 points, which was measured in 2022 after the court overturned Roe v. Wade. Gallup has been measuring Americans’ approval of the court and Congress since 1974.

Previous party polarizations occurred in years that included controversial Supreme Court rulings, such as the 2015 Obergefell decision and times when Congress was controlled by the same party as the president.

On average, 39% of Americans approve of the Supreme Court, down from the 44% measured in September 2024 and the 40% recorded in July 2023. The 40% approval rating was first recorded in September 2021 and was the record low until this year.

Gallup noted that the Supreme Court’s approval rating has consistently been below 50% since 2021, when the court began its 6-3 majority. Political parties are generally more likely to approve of the court when a president of the same party is in office. Former President Joe Biden’s term was an exception, as his presidency coincided with a conservative court.

“Once the court handed down the Dobbs decision in 2022, Republicans’ approval of the court surged, while Democrats’ plummeted,” Gallup noted. “Significant party gaps have persisted since then, largely because of continued low ratings from Democrats.” 

Republicans’ current rating of the Supreme Court is among the highest ever given since 1974. The record high for Republicans’ approval was 80%, recorded in 2001 after the court resolved a presidential election dispute that resulted in a win for former President George W. Bush.

Gallup also found that 61% of Republicans approve of Congress, while just 6% of Democrats also approve. The 55-point partisan gap ties with the rating from March 2025, which set a new record at the time for the largest divide between the two parties on the subject of Congress.

“For Democrats and Republicans, 2025 looks like a reversal of 2021 congressional job approval,” Gallup reported. “In February 2021, Republican approval of Congress was 8%, while Democrats’ rating of 61% represented their highest approval since April 2009.”

Republicans’ approval of Congress is close to the highest rating the party has given in the last 20 years, Gallup noted, while Democrats’ approval is one of the lowest recorded ratings for the party. Times when Democrats previously gave similar approval ratings to Congress included 2013 and 2018, after government shutdowns.

Overall approval for Congress is at 26%, down from the 31% recorded in March. Gallup reported that the March rating was the highest level of approval Congress had received in four years.

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