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Following Callais: Views on Supreme Court Remain Mixed But Reforms Are Popular

May 21, 2026
Tina Tang

This Navigator Research report covers views of the Supreme Court and what type of reforms Americans support.

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Big Takeaways:

After major rulings on tariffs and voting rights, Americans’ views of the Supreme Court remain mixed, largely driven by partisanship.

Majorities broadly support Supreme Court reforms like term limits and investigations into ethics violations.

Democrats are generally more trusted to reform the court, however nearly a third do not trust either party.

Supreme Court Views Remain Mixed 

Despite major rulings from the court this year on tariffs and most recently the Voting Rights Act, Americans have remained mixed on their views of the Supreme Court. Notably, views on the court have remained largely stagnant in Navigator tracking since May 2022, when the case to overturn abortion rights was decided in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Prior to Dobbs, a majority of Americans (56%) viewed the court favorably, since Dobbs, favorability of the Supreme Court has not moved past 50%.

Line graph from Navigator Research titled: Views of the Supreme Court Remain Mixed

Americans Narrowly Trust The Supreme Court To Make The Right Decisions 

A narrow majority (52%) of Americans say they trust the Supreme Court to make the right decisions, while 48% do not trust the court, including a majority of independents (57%) and majorities of non-white Americans.

Bar graph from Navigator Research titled: Americans Narrowly Trust the Court, Driven By White Americans and Republicans

Americans generally believe that the Supreme Court is middle of the road (37%), though a third (34%) believe it is too conservative. Just 15% believe it is too liberal. 

Democrats Have A Trust Advantage On SCOTUS Reform, Though Many Have Yet To Make Up Their Minds

Americans generally trust the Democratic Party (35%) to reform the Supreme Court, however, just over a quarter (27%) do not trust either party and double digits (11%) do not know. However, among those who say our democracy is broken, 41% trust Democrats more to reform the Supreme Court, while 31% do not trust either.

Bar graph from Navigator Research titled: Democrats Are More Trusted on Reforming the Supreme Court, Though Many Trust Neither Party

Supreme Court Reforms Are Broadly Popular

Americans broadly support a variety of Supreme Court reforms. The most popular reforms include term limits for justices (74% support, net +59 overall, up from +42 in July 2023) and Congress investigating SCOTUS ethics violations (70% support, net +54 overall). Expanding the court is only supported by a plurality of Americans (40%), driven mostly by Democratic support (+27 support), while remaining unpopular with independents (-1 support) and non-MAGA Republicans (-27 support).

Bar graph from Navigator Research titled: The Most Popular Supreme Court Reforms Are Term Limits, Ethics Investigations, and a Code of Conduct for Justices

Navigator recently published data on Americans’ views of Louisiana v. Callais, you can read that report here. 

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About The Study

Global Strategy Group conducted a public opinion survey among a sample of 1,000 registered voters from May 13-May 18, 2026. 102 additional interviews were conducted among Hispanic voters. 101 additional interviews were conducted among African American voters. 75 additional interviews were conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. 101 additional interviews were conducted among independent voters. The survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables. The margin of error for the full sample at the 95 percent level of confidence is +/- 3.1 percentage points. The margin of error for subgroups varies and is higher.

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Low Awareness, High Stakes: Views on the Recent Supreme Court Ruling on the Voting Rights Act

This Navigator Research report covers how Americans are reacting to the recent Supreme Court decision, Louisiana v. Callais, which gutted protections under the Voting Rights Act.

Tina Tang