New Poll Reveals America’s Preference for Next Supreme Court Justice
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
On the heels of a Gallup poll revealing a pro-life majority in the U.S. for the first time since 1995, another poll by Fox News which found a majority of voters believing judicial experience rather than ideology is the "single most important factor” in picking the next Supreme Court justice, is proving the Obama administration to be out of touch with the American mainstream.
The new poll, conducted by Opinion Dynamics between May 13-16, found American opinion to be odds wtih President Obama on the subject of qualifications for a position on the U.S. Supreme Court. Obama voted against conservative Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito and made remarks on the campaign trail about the need for justices to understand the "real life" application of the law.
But Americans clearly don't like this kind of "activist" judge. In the Fox poll, 60 percent said they think the Supreme Court should interpret the U.S. Constitution based on what the Framers meant when they wrote it rather than on what feels appropriate in today's world.
Nearly half of all respondents (45%) said judicial experience is the most important qualification for the justice who will replace the retiring David Souter. Only one in 10 (12%) think sharing Obama’s views on key issues is important.
Even among women, hardly any — seven percent — say picking a woman should be the ‘single most important’ factor. A large majority (75%) do not believe it is important to be a minority or a homosexual (66%) to serve on the nation's highest court.
Over half of those polled (60%) said they are very or somewhat comfortable with Obama appointing the next justice, a number which is slightly higher than the 54 percent who said they were comfortable with former President Bush making the selection back in June 2005 when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stepped down.
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