Poll: Supreme Court Pick Matters

Most Americans Want Bush To Appoint A Woman To Replace O'Connor

(CBS) 
WHEN EVALUATING NOMINEE, SENATE SHOULD CONSIDER:

Legal qualifications only
Now
45%
9/1991 (Thomas)
39%
9/1987 (Bork)
39%

Positions on issues also
Now
47%
9/1991 (Thomas)
49%
9/1987 (Bork)
52%

This is a change since the confirmation hearings of then-nominees Clarence Thomas in 1991 and Robert Bork in 1987 -- although when those polls were conducted, a nominee had been named and the confirmation process had become contentious, which has not yet happened in this case. In 1991 and 1987, Americans clearly preferred that the Senate explore the nominees' positions on issues that might confront the Court.

Over half of Democrats want the Senate to focus on the nominee's positions on issues, while more Republicans prefer the Senate focus on the nominee's legal qualifications.

Appointments to the Supreme Court matter to Americans. 59 percent say that which judges sit on the Supreme Court is extremely or very important to them personally, and another 30 percent say it is somewhat important. 10 percent say it is not important.

IMPORTANT WHO SITS ON SUPREME COURT?

Extremely important
22%
Very important
37%
Somewhat important
30%
Not important
10%

Large segments of those from both political parties think this is an important issue, with about one in four Republicans and Democrats seeing it as extremely important.

There are doubts about this President's ability to make good choices -- 46 percent say they are confident that George W. Bush will pick good judges, while slightly more, 52 percent, are uneasy about whom he will choose.

BUSH'S SUPREME COURT CHOICE

Confident
46%
Uneasy
52%

Views on Bush's choice fall along clear partisan lines. About seven in ten white evangelicals and conservatives express confidence in Bush's choice, as do eight in ten Republicans. Eight in ten Democrats and liberals are uneasy. Most Independents and moderates are uneasy, but opinion among these groups is more divided.

One in three Americans expects that evangelical Christians, who have lately been vocal in their views of possible nominees, will have too much influence on the president in this matter. 37 percent expect evangelicals will have the right amount of influence, while 14 percent think they will have too little. Not surprisingly, Democrats and liberals are more likely to think they will have too much influence.

EVANGELICALS' INFLUENCE ON BUSH'S CHOICE

Too much
30%
Too little
14%
Right amount
37%

VIEWS OF THE SUPREME COURT

Views of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Chief Justice William Rehnquist are mostly positive -- but more than half haven't heard enough about either one to give an opinion. 58 percent are undecided about O'Connor, 37 percent have a favorable opinion and 3 percent have an unfavorable view of her. The public's views of Rehnquist are similar; 63 percent have no opinion, 24 percent are favorable and 10 percent are unfavorable. Views of him have changed little since 1987.

VIEWS OF O'CONNOR AND REHNQUIST

O'Connor
Favorable
37%
Unfavorable
3%
Undecided/haven't heard enough
58%

Rehnquist
Favorable
24%
Unfavorable
10%
Undecided/haven't heard enough
63%

Americans do have opinions about the Supreme Court generally -- but only 36 percent have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in it. 40 percent have some confidence. The percent saying they have a great deal of confidence is slightly lower now than it has been in the past; last November, 20 percent had a great deal of confidence.