TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Faith in the justice system is eroding to alarmingly thin margins among Republican voters.
More than 9 in 10 conservatives in Florida do not hold a “great deal of confidence” that the judiciary operates with fairness and equality to all Americans, a new survey suggests.
The Republican Party of Florida distributed a single-question poll on Saturday to the party’s email list and received over 3,000 responses in 48 hours.
LOSING CONFIDENCE IN THE COURTS
The question asked: “How much confidence do you have in the justice system to be fair and equal to all?”
As of Tuesday afternoon, just 9.44 percent had selected “Great Deal of Confidence,” while 17.41 percent said they still hold “Some Confidence.” Meanwhile a whopping 73 percent selected “None.”
“People are very upset and concerned about the unequal justice that’s being carried out when it comes to conservatives versus liberals,” Florida GOP Chair Ziegler told The Florida Standard.
Ziegler was not shocked by the results but called it “sad” and “disappointing” to see the overwhelming distrust among conservatives.
“That shouldn’t be the case, but that’s what you have when people politicize the justice system,” Ziegler added. “It’s so dangerous to be weaponizing the justice system. When you lose faith and trust in [the justice system] it puts everything at risk.”
HIGH-PROFILE CASES SUGGEST DOUBLE STANDARD
The poll results come days after former president Donald Trump was arraigned on 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents. On Tuesday, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to two tax misdemeanors as part of a deal with federal prosecutors.
“It’s no coincidence that less than a week after President Trump is arraigned by the DOJ, Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to a sweetheart deal with no jail time,” U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, (R-TN) tweeted on Tuesday. “For AG Garland to maintain his mantra that there is one standard of justice is pathetic.”
While Trump claims to be the victim of a “witch hunt,” conservatives across America bemoaned the lack of judicial accountability for mass rioting during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. As Antifa members assaulted with impunity, Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree homicide despite ample video evidence demonstrating he acted in self-defense.
The State of the State Courts Poll from December 2022 found that – among all Americans – confidence in federal courts had declined to 57 percent in 2022; four points lower than the year prior.
The pollster analysis concluded: “Americans are losing faith in the courts’ ability to deliver on the key promise of equal justice for all.”
