Many key public trust measures are virtually unchanged from one year ago, according to the just-released 2025 State of the State Courts public opinion survey from the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). 

Courts—especially state courts—remain the most trusted of the three branches of government.

This year’s survey finds that 62% of respondents express a great deal or some trust in our state court system. Last year’s survey placed that number at 63%, and the 2023 figure was 61%, suggesting that public trust in state courts is stable.

“Judicial leaders have room for cautious optimism,” said Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby of the D.C. Court of Appeals and co-chair of the CCJ/ COSCA Public Engagement, Trust and Confidence committee. “Support for the state courts is steady, though as always, there is work to be done to keep earning the public’s trust.”

Despite this even-keel finding, the survey also identified several areas of concern.

For example, more Americans than ever see a two-tiered system of justice. The percentage of Americans agreeing that state courts provide equal justice has slipped from 62% in 2014 to 44% this year. The role of politics, money, racial bias, and the cost and complexity of court all contribute to this growing trust gap.

“State courts must continue to focus on accessibility and fairness as key drivers of public support,” said Marcia M. Meis, director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and co-chair of the CCJ/COSCA Public Engagement, Trust and Confidence committee.

Courts also face a daunting challenge in convincing Americans that AI will make the justice system better. As news about fake evidence and hallucinations in briefs and opinions spreads, a majority think that AI will be more harmful than helpful to courts.

The complexity of court processes and the cost of legal assistance rise to the top of concerns about our access to justice crisis. Two-thirds or more believe that legal education reforms like encouraging law schools to do more to train lawyers to handle everyday legal problems, allowing law students and new law graduates more in-court supervised experience, and updating the bar exam to better measure real-world skills would all be effective in helping close the access gap.

This year’s survey was conducted online between November 12-16.  NCSC’s research partner, GBAO Strategies, surveyed 1,000 registered voters online, providing a margin of error of about 3%, 19 times out of 20.

For additional information on the 2025 State of the State Courts public opinion survey, visit www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/state-state-courts-2025-public-opinion-poll-findings.

headlines Detroit

• Hispanic Heritage
• Bromberg, Edmonds, and Walker receive 2025 teaching awards during first-ever Blue Jeans Panel
• Scientific lessons helped open mind of a Founding Father
• Daily Briefs
• Nessel secures court victory preventing administration from cutting billions in disaster preparedness funding

headlines National

• The business of successfully running an in-house department
• ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
• Justice Gorsuch writes children’s book about ‘Heroes of 1776’
• Companies use ‘deceitful tactics’ to market harmful ultra-processed products with ‘addictive nature,’ city’s suit alleges
• Lawyer accused of trying to poison her husband
• ‘Lawyers Gone Wild’? Filmmaker criticizes bar as he seeks ethics probe of serial killer’s daughter for alleged lie