Washington, D.C., January 24, 2018 – A new poll conducted by Hart Research Associates for Alliance for Justice finds that 61% of respondents believe that President Trump is likely to appoint federal judges who will “favor the wealthy and powerful over everyday people,” rather than judges who will “protect the rights of all people equally.” In addition, the poll finds that only 41 percent have confidence in President Trump to nominate “good federal judges and Supreme Court justices.”
“These findings are sobering, but not terribly surprising,” said Nan Aron, President of Alliance for Justice. “Americans have seen the caliber of judicial nominees that Donald Trump has put forward so far. They’ve seen that several lack basic credentials for the job, and that the vast majority have records of siding with the privileged over workers, women, people of color, LGBTQ Americans, and immigrants. It’s no shock that the public has little confidence in him to appoint judges who will protect the rights of everyday people.”
The online poll was conducted among 1,034 adults on January 8-10, 2018. The respondent pool was 48 percent male and 52 percent female.
Questions and results appear below. Responses are expressed in percentages.
1. How much confidence do you have in Donald Trump when it comes to nominating good federal judges and Supreme Court justices?
Great deal of confidence …21
Fair amount of confidence ….20
Just some confidence ….13
Very little confidence ….46
Total confident:
41
Total less confident:
59
2. As you know, when vacancies occur on the U.S. Supreme Court or other federal courts, the president nominates a new judge to fill the vacancy. In your opinion, is Donald Trump more likely to nominate federal judges who protect the rights of all people equally, or more likely to nominate judges who favor the wealthy and powerful over everyday people?
Protect the rights of all equally – much more likely ….21
Protect the rights of all equally – somewhat more likely …18
Favor the wealthy and powerful – somewhat more likely …20
Favor the wealthy and powerful – much more likely …41
Total Protect the rights of all equally:
39
Total Favor the wealthy and powerful:
61