Nearly two-thirds of Americans express trust in state courts, says new poll

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More Americans are expressing trust and confidence in state courts, according to the National Center for State Courts' annual State of the State Courts survey.

The newly released 2024 survey shows that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans express trust and confidence in America's state courts. It's the second consecutive year that the trust barometer has moved up.

"Public trust and confidence is the stock and trade of the courts," said Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby of the D.C. Court of Appeals. "It's heartening to see this survey reflect that most Americans feel we are earning that trust. As national court leaders, we are committed to earning that confidence every day."

Additional gains for state courts

Growing numbers of Americans are giving state courts a positive "job approval" rating. This year's 54% rating is up from 44% in 2021 and marks the fourth year of this positive trend.

The 2024 survey also reveals that 63% of Americans agree that state courts are "committed to protecting individual and civil rights" and that 59% believe that state courts "treat people with dignity and respect."

"More than 95 percent of all cases are filed in state courts," said Marcia M. Meis, director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. "It's vital that our state courts continue their hard work of improving access to justice and demonstrating the ways in which they are ethical, accountable and transparent in order to maintain the public's trust."

Opportunities for improvement

There are also areas of concern that state court leaders must work to address.

Only one in four respondents agree that courts are doing enough to help individuals navigate the court system without an attorney. Meanwhile, 64% support a proposal that would allow states to "license non-lawyers … to provide limited legal services."

Respondents were evenly split on whether they believe state courts provide (47%) or do not provide (47%) "equal justice to all."

Developed by GBAO Strategies, the national online survey gathered responses from 1,000 registered voters between Dec. 9 and 12.

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court organization dedicated to driving innovation and progress in courts and justice systems. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation's state courts.

Contact:
Jesse Rutledge
Vice President for Public Affairs
jrutledge@ncsc.org
(757) 903-5490

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SOURCE National Center for State Courts