By Dave Andrusko
A new Mason-Dixon survey of 1,100 registered voters tells us two very significant things. One, people do not like drafts of Supreme Court opinions being leaked to the press. Second, they don’t want us tinkering with the highest court in the land—“support for judicial tradition,” as James Freeman wrote in Monday’s Wall Street Journal.
Participants were told “Within the last two weeks, a draft opinion being circulated regarding a major case before the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked to the media, something that has never happened before in the history of the country. Do you approve or disapprove of the leaking of this Supreme Court document?”
The results? “Only 19% approved while an overwhelming 73% expressed their disapproval, once again with independents firmly in the majority. A full 71% of independents disapproved of the leak.”
Number two. “Do you support or oppose amending the U.S. Constitution to change the structure of the U.S. Supreme Court?”
“Only 26% of respondents expressed support while 64% were opposed and 10% were undecided,” Freeman writes.
The Mason-Dixon survey, conducted between May 13 and May 18,
asked a related question. “For over 150 years, the United States Supreme Court has had nine justices. ‘Court-packing’ is generally defined as increasing the number of Supreme Court seats, primarily to alter the ideological balance of the court. Do you support or oppose ‘court-packing’”?
“Altering the number of Supreme Court seats received the support of only 24% of respondents, with 65% opposed,” White wrote.
The First Liberty Institute commissioned the survey. “This is a resounding message—the American people do not want Court packing. They do not want leaks. They strongly reject these attacks on our Court and the rule of law,” says First Liberty President Kelly Shackelford.