WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- About 70 percent of U.S. adults say experience as a judge is important in a Supreme Court nominee, a poll released Friday says.
The ABC-Washington Post poll also found little concern with racial, religious or gender balance, with 80 percent saying they did not care if the next nominee is black, Protestant or a woman. There are now two women on the court and one black and one Hispanic justice, while the only Protestant, John Paul Stevens, is retiring, leaving two Jews and six Catholics.
While 70 percent of those surveyed said judicial experience is important, only 35 percent said other experience is a plus. A majority said business experience is more desirable than time in government.
The public is now more apt to view the court as too liberal, 26 percent, while 21 percent say it is too conservative and 46 percent believe it is balanced in its decisions. A 2007 poll found 31 percent calling the court too conservative and 18 percent too liberal.
Republicans have shifted dramatically, with 43 percent saying the court is too liberal, compared with 26 percent in 2007. They are also more likely to want the court to overturn the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision on abortion than they were three years ago.
But overall, 65 percent of respondents said they are comfortable with President Obama selecting the next Supreme Court justice.
A sample of 1,001 adults were polled by telephone between April 22 and April 25. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
