Public perceptions of the Supreme Court are falling as its session nears the end and a number of significant rulings have been released. Just 26% of voters now say the Supreme Court is doing a good or an excellent job. That’s down from 31% two weeks ago and 41% a month ago.

These results were obtained from polling conducted before the Supreme Court issued a much anticipated decision on gun control and the Second Amendment. While voters are evenly divided on the need for stricter gun control, most believe that cities do not have the right to ban handgun ownership.

The decline in ratings for the Supreme Court can be found all across the partisan divide. Just 34% of John McCain’s party now give the Justices good or excellent marks for their work. That’s down from 43% two weeks ago and 52% a month ago. Twenty-four percent (24%) of Democrats now give the Court such optimistic reviews, little changed from two weeks ago but down from 39% a month ago. Twenty-two percent (22%) of unaffiliated voters give good or excellent ratings, down from 28% two weeks ago and 33% a month ago.

Republicans overwhelmingly believe that Justices should be guided by what’s written in the Constitution and precedent. However, a plurality (42%) of GOP voters believe the Justices typically act on their own individual notions of fairness and justice.

For Democrats, the opposite dynamic is in play. Fifty-two percent (52%) want the Court guided by individual notions of fairness and justice. However, by a two-to one margin, Barack Obama’s party believe the Court is guided primarily by the written words of the Constitution.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of unaffiliated voters want Justices who will strictly interpret the law but a plurality believe that the Court typically operates in the opposite manner.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters believe most Supreme Court Justices try to advance their own personal agendas from the bench. Fifty-three percent (53%) say that the selection of justices is a Very Important consideration in voting for President this year.

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