Public opinion in the Supreme Court is at a historic low, according to a new Gallup poll.

Forty-seven percent of U.S. adults surveyed this month said they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the federal judicial branch that is headed by the Supreme Court. 

That’s a 20-percentage-point drop from 2020, and a 7-point decline from a year ago.

It’s the first time since Gallup began asking the question in 1972 that the number was below 50%, and just the third time it didn’t exceed 60%.

The souring view of the high court comes three months after the justices overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that protected the right to abortions. 

Diminished trust in the judicial branch is being fueled by Democrats, the poll found. Just 25% of Democrats said they trust the courts, compared to 50% in 2021. The new survey marks the first time that less than half of Democrats and independents expressed faith in the judicial branch. 

And for the first time ever, a plurality of voters did not describe the Supreme Court’s ideological leanings as “about right.” Instead, 42% said they believe the court is too conservative. Thirty-eight percent said it is about right, and 18% said it is too liberal.

The Supreme Court currently has six conservative justices and three liberals.

Other recent Gallup metrics also illustrate voters’ dissatisfaction in the Supreme Court.

Just 43% of those surveyed in July said they approve of the high court, down from 49% a year before. The latest number was slightly higher than last year’s record low of 40%, but the difference was statistically insignificant. 

Gallup began asking the approval question in 2000. The approval rating has rarely fallen into the low 40s.

A third Gallup poll, June’s Confidence in Institutions survey, found confidence in the Supreme Court at a new low of 25%. The confidence score was down 15 percentage points from 2020 and 9 points from last year. The previous low was 30%, set in 2014.

The confidence survey was taken in June, before the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling that struck down Roe, but after a draft majority opinion of the ruling was leaked to the press.

The Supreme Court will begin its new term Monday. Some of the cases it is set to hear involve college admission practices, congressional district maps and immigration.