The field of judicial politics has extensively explored the relationship between public opinion and the decisions justices render. While many scholars have purported to demonstrate this relationship, recent work has called such findings into question. Furthermore, few scholars have sought to identify whether or not the relationship between public opinion and the Supreme Court is equal for all members of the public. This paper seeks to fill this gap by exploring whether or not justices are more ideologically aligned with the opinions of economic elites than with other economic groups. Overall, the findings of this paper do not indicate that justices are more aligned with economic elites. However, justices do seem to be aligned with other income groups. This finding has important implications to the field, demonstrating that the Court may not be as susceptible to aligning with elite interests as the other branches of government. It also points to further research on the relationship between the Supreme Court and elites.

This project would not have been completed without the guidance of Dr. Morgan Hazelton. Throughout the process, she provided valuable insights into the nature of the Supreme Court, as well as how to research it as a political institution. Furthermore, she was a source of support during this unprecedented time.