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Supreme Court / Judiciary	See also: Abortion \| Congress: confirmation process \| Election 2000 recount \| Law & civil rights \| Major institutions \| Race & ethnicity \| John Roberts

Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University. Sept. 22-Oct. 3, 2010. N=2,054 adults nationwide. MoE ą 2.5.

"Do you think the U.S. Supreme Court should base its rulings on its understanding of what the U.S. Constitution meant as it was originally written, or should the court base its rulings on its understanding of what the U.S. Constitution means in current times?" Options rotated

		As it was originally written	What it means in current times	Somewhere in between (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/22 - 10/3/10	50	46	1	3
	7/05	46	50	3	1

Gallup Poll. Sept. 13-16, 2010. N=1,019 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Supreme Court is handling its job?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/13-16/10	51	39	10
	8/31 - 9/2/09	61	28	11
	6/14-17/09	59	30	11
	9/8-11/08	50	39	11
	6/9-12/08	48	38	14
	9/14-16/07	51	39	10
	5/10-13/07	51	36	13
	9/7-10/06	60	32	8
	9/12-15/05	56	36	8
	6/24-26/05	42	48	10
	9/13-15/04	51	39	10
	9/8-10/03	52	38	10
	7/7-9/03	59	33	8
	9/5-8/02	60	29	11
	9/7-10/01	58	28	14
	6/11-17/01	62	25	13
	1/10-14/01	59	34	7
	8/29 - 9/5/00	62	29	9

AP-National Constitution Center Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. Aug. 11-16, 2010. N=1,007 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.5.

"Do you think the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court have an impact on your daily life, or do you think that the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court don't really affect your daily life?"

		Have an impact	Don't really affect	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/11-16/10	72	26	2

"Do you think the U.S. Supreme Court justices usually decide their cases based on legal analysis without regard to partisan politics, or do you think they sometimes let their own partisan political views influence their decisions?"

		Usually legal analysis	Sometimes political views	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/11-16/10	19	78	4

USA Today/Gallup Poll. July 27-Aug. 1, 2010. N=1,208 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"As you may know, Solicitor General Elena Kagan is the person nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Would you like to see the Senate vote in favor of Kagan serving on the Supreme Court, or not?"

		Vote in favor	Not vote in favor	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/27 - 8/1/10	46	36	18
	7/8-11/10	44	34	22
	5/24-25/10	46	32	22

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. July 16-21, 2010. N=1,018 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"As you may know, Elena Kagan is the person nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Would you like to see the Senate vote in favor of Kagan serving on the Supreme Court, or not?"

		Vote in favor	Not vote in favor	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/16-21/10	54	34	12
	Democrats	76	12	12
	Independents	48	40	12
	Republicans	36	50	14

	6/16/10	44	39	17
	5/21-23/10	54	36	11

Quinnipiac University Poll. July 13-19, 2010. N=2,181 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 2.1.

"Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/13-19/10	46	34	20
	5/19-24/10	48	30	22

CBS News Poll. July 9-12, 2010. N=966 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"How closely would you say you have been following news about the appointment of U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court: very closely, somewhat closely, not very closely, or not at all closely?"

		Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not very closely	Not at all closely	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/9-12/10	8	33	28	30	1

"What do you think right now? Should the Senate vote to confirm Elena Kagan as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, or vote against Kagan, or can't you say?"

		Vote to confirm	Vote against	Can't say	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/9-12/10	21	19	53	7

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. July 7-11, 2010. N=1,288 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5.

"As you may know, Obama has nominated U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Do you think the U.S. Senate should or should not confirm Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/7-11/10	53	25	22
	6/3-6/10	58	24	18

Pew Research Center survey. July 1-3 & 5, 2010. N=1,007 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"Is your overall opinion of the Supreme Court very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable?"

		Very favorable	Mostly favorable	Mostly unfavorable	Very unfavorable	Never heard of/Can't rate (vol.)
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/1-3 & 5/10	9	49	17	8	17
	2/3-9/10	8	50	19	8	15
	3/31 - 4/6/09	8	56	15	6	15

"Thinking now about the Supreme Court: In your view, do you think the current Supreme Court is conservative, middle of the road, or liberal?"

		Conservative	Middle of the road	Liberal	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/1-3 & 5/10	23	39	23	14
	4/21-26/10	24	36	24	16
	7/07	36	35	14	15

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. June 29-30, 2010. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"I'm going to read you the names of several individuals. Please tell me whether you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of each one. If you've never heard of someone, please just say so. Elena Kagan."

		Favorable	Unfavorable	Can't say	Never heard of
		%	%	%	%
	6/29-30/10	24	17	19	40

"President Obama has nominated Elena Kagan to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. If you were voting on Kagan's nomination, would you vote to confirm her or not?"

		Confirm	Not confirm	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/29-30/10	38	36	26
	Democrats	64	12	25
	Republicans	12	61	27
	Independents	38	35	27

	5/18-19/10	39	29	33
	Democrats	57	11	32
	Republicans	21	51	28
	Independents	36	25	39

"President Obama has already had the opportunity to fill two of the nine seats on the U.S. Supreme Court because of retirements. Four justices are currently over 70 years old. Would you rather they retire while President Obama is in office so he can nominate more justices, or would you rather they wait until his successor takes office and not give President Obama that opportunity?"

		Retire while Obama in office	Wait until successor takes office	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/29-30/10	34	54	13

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). June 17-21, 2010. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"As you may know, Barack Obama recently nominated Elena Kagan to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose Elena Kagan's serving as a justice on the Supreme Court, or do you not know enough about her to say?"

		Strongly support	Somewhat support	Somewhat oppose	Strongly oppose	Don't know enough
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/17-21/10	11	18	9	14	47
	5/20-23/10	14	17	11	10	47

Pew Research/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management. June 17-20, 2010. N=1,009 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"From what you've seen and heard so far, do you think the Senate should or should not confirm Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/17-20/10	33	25	42
	5/13-16/10	33	21	46

"What is your impression of Elena Kagan? Do you think she is liberal, moderate, or conservative?" Options rotated

		Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/17-20/10	28	24	7	41

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. June 16, 2010. N=534 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"What do you think is more likely to occur during the Senate confirmation hearings for Kagan: a relatively easy process in which Republicans and Democrats come to an agreement, or a major fight between Republicans and Democrats that would drag on for a long time?"

		Relatively easy process	Major fight	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/16/10	37	61	3

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. June 9-14, 2010. N=1,044 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.3.

"As you may know, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is retiring, and President Obama has nominated Elena Kagan to replace him. Is your opinion of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about Elena Kagan yet to have an opinion?"

		Favorable	Unfavorable	Haven't heard enough
		%	%	%
	6/9-14/10	20	17	63

"Do you think the U.S. Senate should confirm or should not confirm Elena Kagan as a Supreme Court justice?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%
	6/9-14/10	43	26	30	1

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. June 3-6, 2010. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5.

"As you may know, Obama has nominated U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Do you think the U.S. Senate should or should not confirm Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/3-6/10	58	24	18

"At her confirmation hearing, do you think Kagan should or should not answer questions about how she would have ruled on past cases that have come before the Supreme Court?" Half sample

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/3-6/10	66	29	5

"Do you think Kagan should or should not publicly state her position on abortion before being approved by the U.S. Senate for the job?" Half sample

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/3-6/10	54	42	5

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. May 21-23, 2010. N=1,023 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Based on what you have heard or read about Elena Kagan, do you think she is among the most qualified people who could serve on the Supreme Court, is she qualified to serve on the Supreme Court but many others are more qualified, or is she not qualified to serve on the Supreme Court?"

		Among most qualified	Qualified	Not qualified	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/21-23/10	15	63	19	4

"Thinking about Elena Kagan's background, does each of the following make you more likely to support her nomination, does it make no difference to you, or does it make you less likely to support her nomination? ..."

		More likely to support	No difference	Less likely to support	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"She has worked closely with Barack Obama on legal issues"
	5/21-23/10	26	44	30	1

	"When she was a law school dean, she barred military recruiters from campus because the U.S. did not allow openly gay people to serve in the military"
	5/21-23/10	19	40	39	1

	"She is a woman"
	5/21-23/10	16	80	5	-

	"Her views on most major issues are not known"
	5/21-23/10	9	37	53	1

	"She has never served as a judge"
	5/21-23/10	8	40	52	1

"From what you know about Elena Kagan, as a Supreme Court justice, do you think she would be too liberal, too conservative, or just about right?" N=524 (Form A), MoE ą 4.5

		Too liberal	Too conservative	Just about right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/21-23/10	40	6	50	4

"Based on what you have heard or read about her, do you think Elena Kagan's views on important issues are in the mainstream or do you think they are too extreme?" N=499 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5

		Mainstream	Too extreme	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/21-23/10	54	36	10

Quinnipiac University Poll. May 19-24, 2010. N=1,914 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 2.2.

"Should senators support or oppose Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court based only on whether she is qualified to be a justice, or should they also consider her views on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage?"

		Qualifications only	Also views on issues	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/19-24/10	43	43	14

"If senators did not agree with Elena Kagan on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage, do you think they would be justified, or not justified in using the filibuster to prevent her nomination from coming to a vote?"

		Justified	Not justified	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/19-24/10	37	50	13

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. May 18-19, 2010. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"From what you know about Elena Kagan, would you say she is more of a liberal, or a conservative?" Options rotated

		Liberal	Conservative	Moderate (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/18-19/10	46	10	7	37

"Overall, do you think Elena Kagan is qualified to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court or not?"

		Qualified	Not qualified	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/18-19/10	45	26	29

"Do you think the Senate will confirm Elena Kagan or not?"

		Will	Will not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/18-19/10	70	8	22

"Do you think Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan has been treated fairly or unfairly by the press?"

		Fairly	Unfairly	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/18-19/10	50	23	27

"Do you think the public has the right to know about the private life of anyone nominated to the Supreme Court?"

		Does	Does not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/18-19/10	61	34	4

"Do you think all Supreme Court justices should have prior experience as a judge or is it a good idea if some Supreme Court justices don't have prior experience as a judge?"

		All should have experience	Good if some don't have experience	Doesn't matter (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/18-19/10	62	28	7	3

"How do you think the U.S. Supreme Court should interpret the Constitution? No matter what the outcome, the court should follow what the Framers meant when they wrote the Constitution. If necessary, the court should ignore what the Framers meant to reach the outcome it feels is appropriate for today."

		Follow the Framers, no matter what	Ignore the Framers, if necessary	In between/ Combination (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/18-19/10	60	29	7	5
	5/12-13/09	60	26	8	6

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). May 6-10, 2010. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"How much confidence do you have that President Obama will select the right kind of person to sit on the Supreme Court: a great deal, quite a bit, some, very little, or none at all?"

		A great deal	Quite a bit	Some	Very little	None at all
		%	%	%	%	%
	5/6-10/10	27	17	18	14	23

Gallup Poll. May 10, 2010. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"Generally speaking, how would you rate Obama's choice of Elena Kagan as a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court -- as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?"

		Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	5/10/10	13	27	22	14	24

Gallup Poll. May 3-6, 2010. N=1,029 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"Would you like to see President Obama nominate a new justice who would make the Supreme Court more liberal than it currently is, more conservative than it currently is, or who would keep the Court as it is now?"

		More liberal	More conservative	Keep as it is now	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/3-6/10	27	42	24	6

"Which of the following best describes your view about whether the next Supreme Court justice is [see below]? Do you think it is essential that the next justice is [see below], is it a good idea but not essential, does it not matter to you, or do you think it is a bad idea?"

		Essential	A good idea, not essential	Doesn't matter	A bad idea	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"A woman"
	5/3-6/10	4	20	72	3	1
	5/7-10/09	6	26	64	3	1
	10/28-30/05	14	33	50	2	1
	9/26-28/05	14	29	55	1	1

	"Hispanic"
	5/3-6/10	1	12	76	9	1
	5/7-10/09	1	21	68	8	1
	9/26-28/05	3	23	69	4	1

	"Black"
	5/3-6/10	1	13	82	3	1
	5/7-10/09	1	21	74	3	1
	9/26-28/05	5	21	71	2	1

"As you may know, when Justice John Paul Stevens retires, none of the eight remaining Supreme Court justices will be of a Protestant religion. Which best describes your view about whether John Paul Stevens' replacement on the Supreme Court is Protestant? Do you think it is essential that the next justice is Protestant, is it a good idea but not essential, does it not matter to you, or do you think it is a bad idea?" Options rotated

		Essential	A good idea, not essential	Doesn't matter	A bad idea	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	5/3-6/10	7	22	66	3	2

Pew Research Center survey. April 21-26, 2010. N=1,546 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Just your impression: Over the past two decades, do you think the Supreme Court has become more conservative, become more liberal, or has it stayed about the same?"

		More conservative	More liberal	About the same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/21-26/10	19	28	43	10

"In making his appointments to the Supreme Court, should President Obama nominate people who will make the court more liberal, people who will make it more conservative, or people who will keep the court about the same as it is now?"

		More liberal	More conservative	About the same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/21-26/10	27	28	35	10

"How important is the president's choice of the next Supreme Court justice to you personally: very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not at all important?"

		Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Not at all important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/21-26/10	40	32	14	11	3
	11/3-6/05	47	28	13	11	1

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. April 22-25, 2010. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5.

"Do you think the Supreme Court tends to be too conservative or too liberal in its decisions, or is it generally balanced in its decisions?"

		Too conservative	Too liberal	Balanced	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/22-25/10	21	26	46	7
	7/18-21/07	31	18	47	4
	7/05	19	22	55	4
	7/95	22	22	54	3

"How comfortable are you with Barack Obama selecting the next U.S. Supreme Court nominee: very comfortable, somewhat comfortable, not very comfortable or not at all comfortable?"

		Very comfortable	Somewhat comfortable	Not very comfortable	Not at all comfortable	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/22-25/10	36	29	12	21	2

"For each item I name, please tell me whether to you personally it would be a factor in favor of a Supreme Court nominee, a factor against a Supreme Court nominee, or not a factor one way or the other. What if the nominee is [see below]?"

		In favor	Against	Not a factor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	"A woman" Half sample (Form A)
	4/22-25/10	15	3	81	1

	"Gay or lesbian" Half sample (Form A)
	4/22-25/10	4	25	71	0

	"Protestant" Half sample (Form A)
	4/22-25/10	7	5	83	4

	"African-American" Half sample (Form B)
	4/22-25/10	16	3	81	-

	"Someone with experience as a judge" Half sample (Form B)
	4/22-25/10	70	5	24	1

	"Someone with experience outside the legal profession, for example in the field of business or politics" Half sample (Form B)
	4/22-25/10	35	26	38	1

	If experience outside the legal profession would be a factor in favor: "Which would be preferable to you for a Supreme Court nominee: someone with experience in business, or in politics?"

		Business	Politics	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/22-25/10	56	36	6	1

"The Supreme Court legalized abortion 37 years ago in the ruling known as Roe versus Wade. If that case came before the court again, would you want the next justice to vote to uphold Roe versus Wade, or vote to overturn it?" Options rotated 6/10: "The Supreme Court legalized abortion 36 years ago in the ruling known as Roe versus Wade. If that case came before the court again, would you want Sotomayor to vote to uphold Roe versus Wade, or vote to overturn it?"

		Uphold	Overturn	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/22-25/10	59	38	3

	6/18-21/09	60	34	6

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. April 20-21, 2010. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Do you think the United States Supreme Court is generally too liberal, too conservative, or about right in its decisions?"

		Too liberal	Too conservative	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/20-21/10	27	16	46	10
	1/24-25/06	28	17	42	13
	6/30 - 7/1/03	30	20	37	13

"Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens recently announced he will resign at the end of his term, which will give Barack Obama his second chance to nominate a Supreme Court justice. I'm going to read a list of qualities that might be considered when selecting a new justice. For each one, please tell me whether you think it should be the single most important factor, should be a factor but not the most important, shouldn't matter, or should be a disqualifying factor?" Options rotated

		Single most important factor	A factor	Shouldn't matter	A disqualifying factor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"The nominee having served as a judge"
	4/20-21/10	20	56	20	2	2

	"The nominee being a constitutional scholar"
	4/20-21/10	20	52	23	1	3

	"The nominee being an attorney"
	4/20-21/10	11	49	36	2	2

	"The nominee being a woman"
	4/20-21/10	2	12	83	2	1

	"The nominee being a minority"
	4/20-21/10	2	12	82	3	1

	"The nominee being a homosexual"
	4/20-21/10	1	8	73	15	3

"Would it matter to you if there weren't any justices with a Protestant religious background on the Supreme Court?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/20-21/10	27	70	3

"I'm going to read you a list of characteristics and affiliations and I'd like you to tell me whether or not you would be comfortable with a Supreme Court Justice who has that characteristic or affiliation. Would you be comfortable with a justice who is [see below] or not?"

		Would be comfortable	Would not be comfortable	Unsure
		%	%	%

	"A Mormon"
	4/20-21/10	65	30	5

	"A Christian who takes the Bible literally"
	4/20-21/10	62	35	3

	"A libertarian"
	4/20-21/10	57	32	11

	"A Muslim"
	4/20-21/10	43	53	4

	"An atheist"
	4/20-21/10	39	58	3

	"A socialist"
	4/20-21/10	31	64	5

Quinnipiac University Poll. April 14-19, 2010. N=1,930 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 2.2.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the United States Supreme Court is handling its job?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	49	33	18
	5/26 - 6/1/09	62	22	16
	7/8-13/08	39	43	18
	8/7-13/07	45	37	17
	4/25 - 5/1/07	58	27	15
	11/28 - 12/4/05	50	32	17
	7/21-25/05	50	39	11
	5/18-23/05	44	39	17
	12/7-12/04	50	33	17
	2/26 - 3/3/03	56	27	16

"Do you think the United States Supreme Court is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction?"

		Right direction	Wrong direction	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	35	37	28
	7/8-13/08	33	42	25
	8/7-13/07	39	37	25

"Do you think the Supreme Court is too liberal, too conservative, or about right?"

		Too liberal	Too conservative	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	29	19	40	12
	7/8-13/08	25	31	33	10
	8/7-13/07	20	29	37	13
	2/26 - 3/3/03 Adults	19	26	46	10

"As you may know, Justice John Paul Stevens is retiring from the Supreme Court. How confident are you that President Obama will make the right decision about who should replace Justice Stevens on the Supreme Court: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all?"

		Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not too confident	Not confident at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	27	26	18	28	2

"Who do you trust more to make the right decisions about who should sit on the United States Supreme Court: President Obama or the Republicans in the United States Senate?"

		President Obama	Senate Republicans	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	46	43	11

"Do you think President Obama's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court will be more liberal than you would like, not liberal enough, or about right?"

		More liberal	Not liberal enough	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	42	8	42	8

"Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	52	32	16
	6/23-29/09	54	26	20
	5/26 - 6/1/09	55	25	20

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Roberts is handling his job as chief justice of the Supreme Court?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	49	21	30

"Which comes closer to your point of view? In making decisions, the Supreme Court should only consider the original intentions of the authors of the Constitution. OR, In making decisions, the Supreme Court should consider changing times and current realities in applying the principles of the Constitution."

		Original intentions	Current realities	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	49	42	9
	7/8-13/08	40	52	8
	8/7-13/07	43	48	9
	7/21-25/05	44	50	6
	5/18-23/05	42	51	8
	2/26 - 3/3/03 Adults	39	54	7

"Do you think Supreme Court justices make their decisions solely based on the law, or do you think their political views enter into their decisions?"

		Solely the law	Political views	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	16	78	6

"Should senators support or oppose President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court based only on whether he or she is qualified to be a justice, or should they also consider his or her views on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage?"

		Qualifications only	Views on issues, too	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	47	43	10

"If senators did not agree with President Obama's Supreme Court nominee on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage, do you think they would be justified, or not justified in using the filibuster to prevent the nomination from coming to a vote?"

		Justified	Not justified	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/14-19/10	48	41	11

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. April 9-11, 2010. N=1,008 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"As you may know, President Obama will announce later this year a nominee to the Supreme Court. Do you think Obama should nominate somebody who is very liberal, somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat conservative, or very conservative?"

		Very liberal	Somewhat liberal	Moderate	Somewhat conservative	Very conservative	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	4/9-11/10	8	17	37	19	17	1
	5/14-17/09	9	18	37	19	16	1

"And just your best guess -- do you think Obama will nominate somebody who is very liberal, somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat conservative, or very conservative?"

		Very liberal	Somewhat liberal	Moderate	Somewhat conservative	Very conservative	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	4/9-11/10	33	28	21	9	7	3

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. April 6-7, 2010. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Justices to the U.S. Supreme Court are given lifetime appointments, which means it is completely up to the individual justice when he or she retires. Do you think justices should continue to be allowed to serve as long as they want, or should there be a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices?"

		Serve as long as they want	Mandatory retirement age	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/6-7/10	30	65	6
	7/12-13/05	28	66	6

"If a mandatory retirement age were set for Supreme Court justices, what do you think that age should be?" Open-ended

		%
	Under age 65	12
	65-69	24
	70-74	24
	75-79	16
	80-84	6
	85-89	2
	90 & older	2
	Don't set age	7
	Unsure	6

"When President Obama nominates the next justice to the U.S. Supreme Court, do you want him to nominate someone who is more of a liberal or someone who is more of a conservative?" Options rotated 7/05: "When President Bush nominates the next justice to the U.S. Supreme Court...?"

		More of a liberal	More of a conservative	Shouldn't consider ideology (vol.)	A moderate (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/6-7/10	29	52	5	7	7
	7/12-13/05	25	39	8	12	16

"If Senate Republicans strongly oppose the person President Obama nominates to be the next Supreme Court justice, do you think they should allow an up or down vote on the nominee even if they might lose, or draw out the debate to prevent a vote and keep the nominee from being confirmed?" 7/05: "If Senate Democrats strongly oppose the person President Bush nominates to be the next Supreme Court justice...?"

		Allow up or down vote	Prevent a vote	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/6-7/10	52	26	22
	7/12-13/05	51	24	26

Gallup Poll. Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2009. N=1,026 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"In general, do you think the current Supreme Court is too liberal, too conservative, or just about right?"

		Too liberal	Too conservative	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/31 - 9/2/09	28	19	50	3
	9/8-11/08	21	30	43	6
	9/14-16/07	21	32	43	5
	9/7-10/06	21	31	43	6
	9/12-15/05	25	25	45	5

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. July 31-Aug. 3, 2009. Adults nationwide.

"As you may know, Sonia Sotomayor is the federal judge nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Would you like to see the Senate vote in favor of Sotomayor serving on the Supreme Court, or not?" N=506 (Form A), MoE ą 4.5

		Vote in favor	Not vote in favor	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/31 - 8/3/09	51	36	14
	6/26-28/09	47	40	13

"As you may know, Sonia Sotomayor is the federal judge who Barack Obama nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Would you like to see the Senate vote in favor of Sotomayor serving on the Supreme Court, or not?" N=521 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5

		Vote in favor	Not vote in favor	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/31 - 8/3/09	61	31	8

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). July 24-27, 2009. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"Now I'm going to read you the names of several public figures, and I'd like you to rate your feelings toward each one as either very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative. If you don't know the name, please just say so. Sonia Sotomayor."

		Very positive	Somewhat positive	Neutral	Somewhat negative	Very negative	Don't know name/Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	7/24-27/09	16	15	22	14	13	20
	6/12-15/09	13	17	24	8	8	30

"As you may know, Barack Obama recently nominated Sonia Sotomayor to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose Sonia Sotomayor's serving as a justice on the Supreme Court, or do you not know enough about her to say?"

		Strongly support	Somewhat support	Somewhat oppose	Strongly oppose	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	7/24-27/09	25	19	13	17	25	1
	6/12-15/09	21	22	9	11	35	2

Pew Research Center survey. July 22-26, 2009. N=746 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"How much, if anything, have you heard about Barack Obama's choice of Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Supreme Court justice: a lot, a little, or nothing at all?"

		A lot	A little	Nothing at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/22-26/09	46	33	19	2
	6/10-14/09	39	38	21	2

"From what you've seen and heard so far, do you think the Senate should or should not confirm Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/22-26/09	50	23	27
	6/10-14/09	50	25	25

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. July 21-22, 2009. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"I'm going to read you the names of several individuals and institutions. Please tell me whether you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of each one. If you've never heard of an individual or institution, please just say so. Sonia Sotomayor."

		Favorable	Unfavorable	Can't say	Never heard of
		%	%	%	%
	7/21-22/09	41	24	19	15
	6/9-10/09	36	18	25	21

"President Obama has nominated Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. If you were voting on Sotomayor's nomination, would you vote to confirm her or not?"

		Confirm	Not confirm	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/21-22/09	53	29	19
	6/9-10/09	46	32	22

USA Today/Gallup Poll. July 17-19, 2009. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"Now, turning to the U.S. Supreme Court: As you may know, Sonia Sotomayor is the federal judge nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Would you like to see the Senate vote in favor of Sotomayor serving on the Supreme Court, or not?"

		Vote in favor	Not vote in favor	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	55	36	9
	7/10-12/09	53	33	13
	5/29-31/09	54	28	19

Diageo/Hotline Poll conducted by FD. July 9-13, 2009. N=800 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.5.

"Now, I'd like to read you a list of various national public figures, and for each one, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of them. If you haven't heard of them, just tell me and we'll move on. Sonia Sotomayor."

		Favorable	Unfavorable	Heard of/Can't rate (vol.)	Haven't heard of	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/9-13/09	31	24	15	24	5

"On the topic of President Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court, do you support or oppose the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States?" Options rotated

		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/9-13/09	50	28	22

Gallup Poll. July 10-12, 2009. N=1,018 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Next, we'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, lease say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of these people -- or if you have never heard of them. How about U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor?"

		Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/10-12/09	38	26	19	17
	5/29-31/09	43	21	15	21

"How closely are you following the news about Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?"

		Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not too closely	Not at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/10-12/09	14	39	27	19	1
	5/29-31/09	20	40	22	18	-

CBS News Poll. July 9-12, 2009. N=944 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Is your opinion of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor favorable, not favorable, undecided, or haven't heard enough about Sonia Sotomayor yet to have an opinion?"

		Favorable	Not favorable	Undecided	Haven't heard enough
		%	%	%	%
	7/9-12/09	23	15	23	39
	6/12-16/09	33	9	22	36

"What do you think right now? Should the Senate vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, or vote against Sotomayor, or can't you say?"

		Vote to confirm	Vote against	Can't say	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/9-12/09	30	14	52	4
	6/12-16/09	34	9	53	4

"How important do you think it is for there to be another woman on the Supreme Court? Would you say it is very important, somewhat important, not very important or not important at all?"

		Very important	Somewhat important	Not very important	Not at all important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/9-12/09	35	31	14	18	2

"How important do you think it is for there to be a Hispanic on the Supreme Court? Would you say it is very important, somewhat important, not very important or not important at all?"

		Very Important	Somewhat important	Not very important	Not at all important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/9-12/09	21	32	20	25	2

"If Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed to sit on the Supreme Court, do you think she will favor certain groups over others when making her judicial decisions, or do you think she will treat all groups the same under the law?"

		Will favor certain groups	Will treat all the same	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/9-12/09	21	60	2	17
	6/12-16/09	18	55	2	25

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. June 26-28, 2009. N=1,026 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Suppose the upcoming confirmation hearings indicate that Sonia Sotomayor is qualified and has no ethical problems. Do you think U.S. Senators would be justified or unjustified in voting against her if they disagree with her stance on current issues such as abortion or gun control?"

		Justified	Unjustified	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/26-28/09	47	49	5

"What do you think is more likely to occur during the Senate confirmation hearings for Sotomayor: a relatively easy process in which Republicans and Democrats come to an agreement, or a major fight between Republicans and Democrats that would drag on for a long time?"

		Relatively easy	Major fight	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/26-28/09	38	60	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. June 18-21, 2009. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5.

"As you may know, Obama has nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Do you think the U.S. Senate should or should not confirm Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	62	25	13
	Democrats	79	11	10
	Independents	64	26	10
	Republicans	36	43	21

"Given what you know, do you think Sotomayor is a more liberal nominee than you'd have liked, less liberal than you'd have liked, or about right?"

		More liberal	Less liberal	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/18-21/09	26	8	55	12

"Do you think Sotomayor's racial and ethnic background plays a role in the way she decides cases as a judge, or not?" If "Yes": "Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?"

		Yes: Good	Yes: Bad	No	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/18-21/09	16	22	52	10

"Do you think the fact that Sotomayor is a woman plays a role in the way she decides cases as a judge, or not?" If "Yes": "Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?"

		Yes: Good	Yes: Bad	No	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/18-21/09	23	10	59	8

"The Supreme Court legalized abortion 36 years ago in the ruling known as Roe versus Wade. If that case came before the court again, would you want Sotomayor to vote to uphold Roe versus Wade, or vote to overturn it?" Options rotated

		Uphold	Overturn	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/18-21/09	60	34	6

CBS News/New York Times Poll. June 12-16, 2009. N=895 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"When the Senate votes on a Supreme Court nominee, should it consider only that person's legal qualifications and background, or along with legal background, should the Senate also consider that nominee's personal views on major issues the Supreme Court decides?"

		Legal only	Issues, too	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	30	62	8
	1/5-8/06	32	61	7

"How important is it for the members of the Supreme Court to reflect the diverse gender, ethnic and racial make-up of the country as a whole? Is it very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all?"

		Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Not at all important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	43	31	12	11	3

"How closely would you say you have been following news about the appointment of federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court: very closely, somewhat closely, not very closely, or not at all?"

		Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not very closely	Not at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	22	39	19	18	2

"Before senators vote on whether Sonia Sotomayor should be confirmed as a justice of the Supreme Court, how important do you think it is for the Senate to know her positions on issues such as abortion and affirmative action? Is that very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important?"

		Very important	Somewhat important	Not very important	Not at all important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	48	28	11	11	2

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). June 12-15, 2009. N=1,008 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"Based on what you have heard so far, do you think that Sonia Sotomayor is qualified or not qualified to be a Supreme Court justice, or do you not know enough about her to say?"

		Qualified	Not qualified	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/12-15/09	50	13	35	2

"How much confidence do you have that, if she is confirmed by the Senate to sit on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor will reflect your views about most issues: a great deal of confidence, quite a bit of confidence, some confidence, very little confidence, or no confidence at all? If you have no opinion, please just say so." Half sample (Form A), MoE ą 4.4

		A great deal	Quite a bit	Some	Very little	None at all	No opinion
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	6/12-15/09	12	14	20	14	13	27

"Based on what you have heard, seen, or read about Sonia Sotomayor's decisions as a judge and her personal viewpoints do you feel that she would be within the mainstream of the Supreme Court and past justices who have served, or outside the mainstream of the Supreme Court and past justices who have served? If you do not know enough to have an opinion, just say so." Half sample (Form B), MoE ą 4.4

		Within mainstream	Outside mainstream	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/12-15/09	28	33	35	4

Pew Research Center Poll. June 10-14, 2009. N=1,502 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"What is your impression of Sonia Sotomayor? Do you think she is liberal, moderate, or conservative?"

		Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/10-14/09	31	34	8	26

"As I read some issues the Supreme Court may rule on over the coming years, please tell me how important each issue is to you personally. First, are court decisions on [see below] very important, fairly important, not too important, or not at all important to you?"

		Very important	Fairly important	Not too important	Not at all important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"Abortion"
	6/10-14/09	55	20	11	11	3
	11/3-6/05	62	20	8	8	2

	"Affirmative action"
	6/10-14/09	40	32	14	7	8
	11/3-6/05	38	37	12	7	6

	"Issues related to homosexuality"
	6/10-14/09	33	18	20	25	4
	11/3-6/05	36	20	20	21	3

	"The rights of people held in custody as terrorist suspects"
	6/10-14/09	57	25	9	6	3
	11/3-6/05	57	23	10	6	4

	"Election and voting rules"
	6/10-14/09	57	25	9	5	3

Supreme Court / Judiciary continued

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