A recent poll by the Marquette Law School found that a slim majority of Americans support the Supreme Court’s decision to keep former President Donald Trump on the Colorado presidential ballot, despite allegations that he violated the “insurrectionist ban” in the 14th Amendment. However, the majority of respondents were opposed to granting immunity to former presidents, including Trump. The poll comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a case regarding whether Trump can claim immunity from special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion case. Trump has argued that his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results were part of his official capacity as president.
The poll found that 62% of respondents opposed granting immunity to former presidents, while only 20% supported the idea. When respondents were asked specifically about whether Trump should be shielded from prosecution, the percentage supporting immunity for Trump increased by 8 points. This change was largely due to Republicans, who opposed immunity for former presidents but were more willing to support immunity for Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. The poll’s director noted that Republicans tended to reconsider their stance on immunity for Trump when prompted that the case specifically involves him.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the immunity case on April 25, making it one of the most closely watched cases of the year. The court was unanimous in its bottom-line conclusion in the ballot case but split deeply over the reasoning behind the decision. Support for the Supreme Court among Americans has decreased in recent years following controversial rulings, including the 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Several justices have also faced criticism over ethics and transparency controversies. The latest Marquette poll found that 47% of Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing, which is a slight increase from recent polling but still lower than where it stood three years ago.
The Marquette poll was conducted from March 18-28 and involved interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide using the SSRS Opinion Panel. The margin of sampling error for the poll is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The poll results show that while Americans support the Supreme Court’s decision to keep Trump on the ballot, they are divided on the issue of immunity for former presidents, with Republicans showing a willingness to support immunity for Trump specifically. The Supreme Court’s upcoming arguments in the immunity case will likely be closely watched as the court continues to face scrutiny and criticism over its decisions and transparency.
