35% of Americans believe president should able to remove judges over decisions

Sept. 12 (UPI) -- More than a third of Americans believe the president should have the authority to remove sitting judges, if their legal decisions "go against the national interest," according to an Axios/Ipsos poll released Monday.

A total of 35% of the 1,001 people surveyed feel that way, with 15% strongly agreeing, and 20% saying they somewhat agree.

The poll was conducted on Sept. 1 and 2.

On the other side of the ledger, 24% of survey respondents strongly disagreed, 19% somewhat disagreed, and 22% said they weren't sure.

The results come as Americans' opinions of the Supreme Court hit a near-record low in June, according to a Gallup poll.

The Supreme Court's June 24 ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson, which overturned Roe vs. Wade, sparked protests.

In his first public comments since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision, Chief Justice John Roberts defended the court's legitimacy on Friday, saying that its job is to interpret the Constitution.

Roberts, while speaking to an audience of judges attending the 10th Circuit Bench and Bar Conference in Colorado, also said that while all of the court's opinions are open to criticism, disagreeing with a decision should not lead to questioning the court's legitimacy.

More than a third (38%) of people in Monday's Axios/Ipsos poll also agreed that the government should comply with the interests of the majority, even if it comes at the expense of ethnic and religious minority groups' civil rights. A slightly higher number (41%) disagreed with the statement.