As debates over the U.S. Supreme Court’s legitimacy and role intensify, a new study co-authored by a University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher reveals that white Americans’ racial attitudes have become a powerful predictor of how they feel about the nation’s highest court — marking a major shift in public opinion that reflects broader societal polarization.

The research, published in the journal Political Behavior, documents a striking reversal: In the 1980s, white Americans with more hostile racial views tended to view the court negatively. Today, those same individuals are far more likely to approve of the court. The findings are based on data spanning four decades from the American National Election Study and the Cooperative Election Study, focusing on how racial attitudes — particularly among white respondents — influenced approval of the court.

“Over the last 40 years, we see change in how white Americans  — especially those with hostile racial views — orient towards the Supreme Court, which has happened in parallel with the ideological lean of the court’s high-profile rulings having changed,” says Kelsey Shoub, assistant professor of public policy at UMass Amherst.

The marked shift appears to be linked to the court’s evolving role in decisions on race-related issues. During the Civil Rights era, landmark rulings like Brown v. Board of Education associated the court with racial progress. In that context, racially resentful white Americans were less supportive. But in recent years, those same individuals now see the court more favorably.

The research identifies the late 2010s as a turning point. This coincides with a conservative ideological transformation within the court and several high-profile rulings — such as the rollback of abortion rights and affirmative action — that signaled a move away from the court’s historical role as a defender of minority rights.

Importantly, the researchers controlled for political ideology, partisanship and demographic factors, confirming that the relationship between racial attitudes and court approval is not merely a proxy for broader conservative beliefs. Even after accounting for these variables, racial resentment remained a strong and consistent predictor.

The analysis shows that this trend holds even within generational cohorts, ruling out the idea that it’s driven by newer, younger voters. Moreover, it’s not simply the number of race-related cases that matters, but their ideological content. When the court rules in ways perceived as conservative on racial issues, racially resentful white Americans show greater support.

“These results demonstrate the Supreme Court, which is often thought should be seen as a neutral arbiter of justice, is increasingly viewed through a racial lens — and that this has changed over time,” Shoub notes.

The paper was co-authored by Jamil S. Scott, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, and Leah Christiani, associate professor of political science at Hunter College.