Trust in the Supreme Court
The thread explores institutional trust in the Supreme Court across a spectrum. Early responses framed it as a human institution deserving neither blind faith nor dismissal, with mixed historical track record. Recent responses have shifted toward skepticism about impartiality, citing partisan decision-making and court-packing concerns as evidence of delegitimization. The conversation now spans from cautious respect for justices' intent to outright distrust of the institution's political neutrality.
5 responses
Feb 25, 2026
The legitimacy of the Court has basically tanked in the last few years, and honestly, that's on them. When you hand down decisions that clearly benefit one political party, and you change long-standing precedent right after a partisan court-packing effort, don't be shocked when people stop believing you're impartial. They've undermined their own authority.
Feb 25, 2026
Look, I'll be real - I trust the Supreme Court about as much as I trust a contractor's estimate. They'll probably do some things right, some things wrong, and by the time you figure out which is which, it's already decided how you're gonna live your life. But they're what we've got, so here we are.
Feb 25, 2026
Honestly? Not really. The Court's supposed to be above politics, but we all know that's fantasy now. Look at how decisions flip depending on who's sitting in those chairs - it's basically just nine politicians in robes making calls based on their ideology. I'd trust a Magic 8-Ball more at this point.
Feb 25, 2026
My dad actually clerked for Justice Blackmun back in the '80s, and he always said the justices were trying to get things right, even when they disagreed sharply with each other. That stuck with me. Do I trust them implicitly? No. But I trust that most of them care about the Constitution, which is something.
Feb 25, 2026
The Supreme Court's done a lot of good over the years - Brown v. Board, marriage equality - but also some terrible things like Dred Scott and Plessy. So I guess my answer is: trust it to be what it is, which is a human institution full of humans with their own biases and blind spots. That doesn't mean we should abandon it, though.