Survey: State Courts Most Trusted Branch Of Government

Public confidence in courts has grown in recent years, and the courts, at least the state courts, are the most trusted branch of the government, according to a survey by the National Center for State Courts. Just over 70 percent of voters surveyed in 2014 said they felt the state courts treat people with dignity and respect, up from 65 percent in 2012. “[V]oters are increasingly inclined to give the courts the benefit of the doubt, and that is an important development in a still difficult political environment,” the NCSC wrote. However, doubts about partisanship and political bias remain. More than half of respondents said they consider courts, and judges, to be political, and agreed with the statement that too many judges are appointed to state courts because of personal connections and political influence.