{"id":2538958,"date":"2026-01-16T06:45:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T11:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/polling-shows-over-half-of-public-trusts-supreme-court-on-religious-freedom\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T06:47:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T11:47:05","slug":"polling-shows-over-half-of-public-trusts-supreme-court-on-religious-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/polling-shows-over-half-of-public-trusts-supreme-court-on-religious-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Polling shows over half of public trusts Supreme Court on religious freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpolling-shows-over-half-of-public-trusts-supreme-court-on-religious-freedom%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2538958&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A new poll from the becket Fund&#8217;s annual Religious Freedom Index finds a slim majority of Americans still trust the Supreme Court to make the right decisions despite recent controversies: 51% of adults trust the court overall (10% strongly, 41% somewhat) while 49% distrust it (17% strongly, 32% somewhat). On religious-liberty cases specifically, 55% express trust (11% strongly) and 45% distrust (15% strongly). Becket vice president Lori Windham said the result is notable given waning trust in institutions and pointed to the Court&#8217;s recent rulings showing broad support for religious freedom. Last term the Court delivered wins for religious-liberty advocates in cases such as Mahmoud v. Taylor and Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor &#038; Industry Review Commission,both backed by Becket. This term the Court heard Chiles v. Salazar, a First Amendment challenge to Colorado&#8217;s ban on so-called conversion therapy, and opinions in the current term are expected through the end of June.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Supreme Court still trusted to make the right ruling despite contentious cases, poll shows<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2472124\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash; <\/strong>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> has faced public criticism in recent years over its decisions in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sotomayor-barrett-encourage-public-to-read-supreme-court-opinions-as-decisions-get-fiery\/\" title=\"Sotomayor, Barrett encourage public to read ... opinions as decisions get fiery\">hotly contested cases<\/a>, but despite the vocal opposition, a majority of people still believe they can trust the high court to make the right decision, according to new polling.<\/p>\n<p>The Becket&nbsp;Fund for Religious Liberty released its annual Religious Freedom Index on Friday, providing a glimpse at how the country feels about <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/religious-freedom\/\">religious freedom<\/a>. In its polling in the index, the group found 51% of those surveyed trust the Supreme Court to make the right decision, including 10% of U.S. adults who strongly trust the high court&rsquo;s judgment and 41% who somewhat trust the justices to make the right decision.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4418402\/election-lawsuits-poised-ramp-up-after-supreme-court-ruling\/\">Election lawsuits poised to ramp up after Supreme Court ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4418260\/supreme-court-opens-floodgates-candidates-challenging-election-laws\/\">Supreme Court opens floodgates to candidates challenging election laws<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4417848\/blackburn-challenges-jackson-define-woman-transgender-sports-cases\/\">Blackburn challenges Jackson to define &#8216;woman&#8217; in Supreme Court transgender sports cases<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Among the remaining 49% who said they distrust the Supreme Court to make the right ruling, 32% said they somewhat distrust the high court and 17% said they strongly distrust the judgment of the justices.<\/p>\n<p>When asked if they trust or distrust the Supreme Court to make the right decision, specifically regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-california-agree-to-pay-more-churches-in-settlements-over-lockdown-discrimination\/\" title=\"Newsom, California Agree To Pay More Churches In Settlements Over Lockdown Discrimination\">religious liberty cases<\/a>, 55% of adults surveyed said they trust the justices, including 11% who answered they strongly trust the high court. Yet 45% said they distrust the high court&rsquo;s judgment on the matter, including 15% who said they strongly distrust the high court to make the right decision in religious liberty cases.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4415304\/supreme-court-defining-sex-transgender-sports-bans\/\">SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS HOW DEFINING SEX WOULD AFFECT TRANSGENDER SPORTS BANS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At a time when trust in our institutions often feels in short supply, it&rsquo;s notable that a majority of Americans continue to trust the Supreme Court, particularly on religious liberty,&rdquo; Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said in a statement shared with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Court&rsquo;s most recent term showed why that trust remains well placed. In its religious cases, the Court showed broad agreement on the importance of religious freedom and the right of all Americans to bring their faith into the public square,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Last term, the Supreme Court handed religious liberty advocates <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3455080\/mahmoud-v-taylor-supreme-court-parents-right-opt-kids-out-lgbt-books\/\">multiple significant wins<\/a>, including in cases involving parental opt-outs for LGBT curriculum in schools and religious exemptions for state programs. The winning side in both cases, <em>Mahmoud v. Taylor<\/em> and <em>Catholic Charities Bureau v.&nbsp;Wisconsin Labor &amp; Industry Review Commission<\/em>, was backed by Becket.<\/p>\n<p>This term, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >high court heard arguments<\/a> in <em>Chiles v. Salazar<\/em>, another case with religious liberty implications. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3820486\/advocates-warn-colorado-conversion-therapy-ban-supreme-court-blatant-censorship\/\">Kaley Chiles<\/a>, a licensed counselor in&nbsp;Colorado, claimed that the state&rsquo;s law banning &ldquo;conversion therapy&rdquo; unlawfully censors her ability to speak with children and families who seek her out by prohibiting her from trying to dissuade children from changing their gender identities or sexual orientations. She claims parents and children voluntarily seek out her counseling in part because of her Christian faith.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3840707\/colorado-conversion-therapy-ban-skeptical-supreme-court\/\">SUPREME COURT SKEPTICAL OF COLORADO&rsquo;S &lsquo;CONVERSION THERAPY&rsquo; BAN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chiles argues it infringes on her First Amendment rights and says the state is pushing viewpoint discrimination, an argument that seemed to play well with the justices during oral arguments in October.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court is expected to release opinions in all its cases this term over the coming months, through the end of June.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Majority still trust Supreme Court, poll finds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2538959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP24181643398680.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[15698,34832,32274,32275,71117],"class_list":["post-2538958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-polling","tag-public-opinion","tag-religious-freedom","tag-supreme-court","tag-trust-in-institutions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP24181643398680.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2538958"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2538962,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538958\/revisions\/2538962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2538959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2538958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2538958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2538958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}