"This crisis of confidence in the judiciary is real and growing. Left unaddressed, the perception that justice is for sale will undermine the rule of law that the courts are supposed to uphold."
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Civic Education Polls & Facts
"What is a source for concern are polls consistently showing that Americans are unfamiliar with basic features of our constitutional system." - Michael C. Dorf, former Supreme Court clerk
FindLaw.com 2010 Poll
- 2/3 of Americans cannot name any U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
- Only one percent of those polled could name all nine Justices
American Bar Association 2005 Civics Knowledge Poll
- 44% of Americans could not correctly identify the role of the judiciary
- only 55%, given a choice of options, correctly identified the three branches of government
- 22% said the branches were Republican, Democrat, and Independent
National Center for State Court 2009 Poll
- only 21% polled correctly named all three branches of government
- 44% could not name any branches of government
- Confidence in the state courts is lower among those with less knowledge
