Supreme Court rulings and scandals could tip scales for Dems in 2024: analysis
Conservative voters have for years been the most motivated by shaping the Supreme Court, but due to ethics scandals and precedent-shattering rulings, Democrats will reportedly have the advantage on that front in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
Republicans have controlled the conversation when it comes to the country's top court, but this is shifting in the era of a conservative-dominated bench, according to the Washington Post's Saturday report.
"Democratic voters’ opinions on the justices could prove critical in close elections after decades of advantage for Republicans on the issue," wrote the Post's congressional bureau chief, Paul Kane.
Kane's analysis looks at the politicization of the Supreme Court, as well as how the trends will likely impact voting.
"After decades of advantage for Republicans on the issue, recent elections have shown a growing margin for Democrats that could prove critical in close elections," Kane wrote. "In addition, conservative voters are showing signs of being politically satiated and losing interest in the courts as a voting issue."
The shifting political motivations come at the same time as the court faces historically low popularity rates, according to Kane.
"Two years ago, 49 percent of Americans approved of the court’s performance, while 44 percent disapproved," he wrote. "Last September those numbers cratered, with just 40 percent approving and a record-high 58 percent disapproving."
This trend is likely to continue, Kane added, because of the ethics issues surrounding the court.
"One issue that could mushroom, both against the justices and helping Democrats, is the seemingly expanding scandals related to undisclosed gifts to Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, from conservative billionaires," the article says. "Senate Democrats are pushing legislation that would require justices to adhere to a stronger code of ethics that would involve mandatory disclosure of expensive gifts and potentially clearer lines of when justices should recuse themselves from cases.."