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Americans have consistently had more trust in the judiciary than in the other two government branches, but trust in all three has trended downward in an era of widespread dissatisfaction with government. As recently as six years ago, the first year of the Obama administration, 76% said they trusted the judicial branch, 61% said they trusted the executive branch and 45% said they trusted the legislative branch.
The author notes that the decline has been mostly among Republicans.
The decline in trust in the judicial branch likely stems from the Supreme Court's controversial decisions this year to legalize same-sex marriage and uphold a key provision of the Affordable Care Act allowing Americans to purchase subsidized health insurance through federally run marketplaces.
Democrats cheered those decisions while Republicans criticized them. As a result, the Supreme Court's job approval rating among Republicansplummeted to 18% in July, shortly after the high court's term ended.
