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Despite Supreme Court wins, evangelicals unhappy
Evangelicals want the courts out of social issues, says a Washington Post-ABC News poll released yesterday.

"Evangelical Protestant Republicans are far more likely than other groups to want courts to stay out of controversial social questions, suggesting that GOP criticism of 'activist judges' resonates with the party's core constituency," writes the Post's Charles Lane.

Respondents were asked, "Who do you trust more to deal with same-sex marriage, your state legislature or your state courts?" Almost seven of ten self-identified evangelical Protestant Republicans chose lawmakers, compared with only 45 percent of Americans in general. Asked about abortion, 66 percent of evangelical Protestant Republicans said they trusted state legislatures more than state courts, compared with 44 percent of Americans in general.

"Interviews with individual respondents showed that Republicans who describe themselves as evangelical Protestants object to what they see as the courts' denial of the public's right to make policy on 'moral' issues," Lane wrote.

It's worth noting that the wording in the poll asked those who had identified themselves as Christians, "Would you consider yourself a born-again or evangelical Christian, or not?" (44% said yes, 54% said no. The question was asked of 81% of the poll respondents: 47% had identified as Protestants, 23% as Catholics, 11% as non-Protestant Christians, 4% as non-Christians, and 14% as non-religious.)

The Post-ABC poll stayed on the state level and didn't ask about trustworthiness of federal courts vis a vis Congress. But a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll also released yesterday shows that opinion of the Supreme Court has dropped dramatically in the eyes of evangelicals. In January 2001, 73 percent of white evangelical Protestants said they had a favorable view of the Supreme Court. Today, that number is barely a majority: 51 percent.

"An analysis of the poll finds that Republicans who want the Court to take a tougher stand against abortion rights are more dissatisfied with the Court than Republicans who do not," says the Pew Center press release.

There's a significant problem in seeing abortion as the issue that has turned evangelicals and conservative Republicans against the Supreme Court over the last four years: During that period the Court, has only issued one major decision focusing on the abortion debate. And it went in favor of pro-lifers. (The Supreme Court's ruling that struck down Nebraska's partial-birth abortion ban happened in 2000.)

Meanwhile, the Court has issued several opinions on religious freedom that evangelicals should love. Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001) said schools had to allow Christian clubs if they allowed other extracurricular activities. Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002) said publicly funded school vouchers can be used to pay for religious schools. Watchtower Bible & Tract Society v Village Of Stratton (2002) said door-to-door evangelists don't need city permission to knock on neighbors' doors. Elk Grove Unified School Dist. v. Newdow (2004), last year's famous Pledge of Allegiance case, was thrown out on issues of standing, but kids can still say "under God" in classrooms. In Cutter v. Wilkinson, just decided last month, the Court upheld the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 and said prisoners had the right to practice their religion, even if it put a burden on prison officials.

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June (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49