Whither WASP-ism?

Fox News Poll: Most OK With No Protestants on Supreme Court
By Dana Blanton
- FOXNews.com

Most American voters are okay with having no Protestant on the Supreme Court, but only 9 percent think President Obama should pick another Ivy Leaguer according to a Fox News Poll released Wednesday.


With the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens, the U.S. Supreme Court could be left without a single Protestant for the first time ever. Most American voters are OK with that, according to a Fox News Poll released Wednesday.

Stevens, who announced his retirement April 9, is the only Protestant currently sitting on the court. Of the remaining eight justices, six are Roman Catholic and two are Jewish.

Overall, 70 percent of American voters say it wouldn’t matter to them if there weren’t any justices with a Protestant religious background on the court, while 27 percent say it would matter.

The results are bit more evenly divided among Protestants: 57 percent say it wouldn’t matter, and 39 percent say it would.

Republicans (41 percent) are about twice as likely as Democrats (19 percent) and independents (22 percent) to say yes, it would matter.