Americans favor supreme court rulings on student loans and first amendment rights by slim margin, Poll reveals

The latest poll results showing American opinions on Supreme Court rulings regarding student loans and First Amendment rights.

A recent national poll conducted by ABC News/Ipsos has revealed the American public's opinions on several key Supreme Court rulings.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about his plans for continued student debt relief after a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking his plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt, at the White House in Washington, U.S. June 30, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis(REUTERS)

The survey found that slightly more Americans approve than disapprove of the court's decisions regarding federal student debt cancellation and First Amendment rights for a web designer. But, the country appears to be more divided on the court's ruling regarding affirmative action in college admissions.

Regarding President Biden's attempt to forgive an estimated $430 billion in federally held student debt, the poll found that 45% of Americans approve of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the attempt, while 40% disapprove. The remaining 14% responded that they didn't know.

Party affiliations played a significant role in the responses, with 71% of Republicans and only 17% of Democrats approving of the court's ruling.

In another case involving First Amendment rights, the court ruled in favor of web designer Lorie Smith, stating that the Colorado government could not compel her to create websites celebrating same-sex couples.

The survey revealed that 43% of Americans approved of the decision, 42% disapproved, and 14% were unsure. Similar to the student loan case, the responses were largely split along party lines, with 68% of Republicans and 15% of Democrats supporting the court's ruling.

The court's decision on affirmative action in college admissions received majority approval, with 52% of Americans backing the ruling, 32% disapproving, and 16% unsure. The responses varied among different racial and ethnic groups, with 60% of white Americans and 58% of Asian Americans supporting the decision.

A demonstrator protests outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the court made their final rulings of their session on the issues of student loan forgiveness and LGBTQ rights in Washington, U.S. June 30, 2023.  REUTERS/Jim Bourg(REUTERS)

On the other hand, a majority of black Americans (52%) disagreed with the ruling, while Hispanic and Latino respondents were evenly split, with 40% approving and 40% disapproving.

The poll also found that a majority of Americans (53%) believe that Supreme Court justices make decisions based on partisan political considerations rather than the basis of law (33%).

Notably, 14% of respondents did not have an opinion on the matter.

The Supreme Court's rulings in these cases were delivered by the conservative justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas. They held that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission could not force Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian, to promote same-sex marriage through her web design company.

The conservative justices ruled that the president did not have the authority to forgive student loans without congressional approval, invalidating President Biden's attempt to utilize a 2003 law intended for veterans' benefits during a national emergency.

The court's liberal bloc, consisting of Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented in both cases.

The ABC News/Ipsos poll surveyed 937 US adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.