I doubt that conservative opinion of the Supreme Court will become more positive anytime soon, thanks to the Obamacare ruling.

But this Pew survey shows that GOP approval of SCOTUS has rebounded somewhat from its lows last summer.

Politico:

A survey released Monday from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press says that 52 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the Supreme Court while 31 percent view it unfavorably. The court's lowest approval rating since 1985 came last summer, clocking in at 51 percent, according to Pew figures.

Last July, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law, GOP approval of the court came in at 38 percent. The most recent poll shows that 47 percent of Republicans now view the Supreme Court favorably, though Pew noted that before the Obamacare ruling, 56 percent of Republicans had a favorable view of the institution.

On the other end of the spectrum, 56 percent of Democrats view the court favorably, down from 64 percent in July.

The poll comes as all eyes turn this week to the Supreme Court, which will be considering two high-profile cases concerning gay marriage.

If it's true that Supreme Court Justices follow the polls as closely as any politician, then it is likely some kind of expanded right for gays to marry will probably be in the offing. The last two weeks have seen an extraordinary bandwagon effect as support for gay marriage has shot up to 58% and politicians are tripping all over themselves trying to get out front and brag about how they support "marriage equality."

Is this any way to radically change the culture? I think not. If America is going to allow gay marriage, it should be left up to individual states to approve it, not a court in Washington D.C. if any issue is a matter of local customs and mores, it is gay marriage. Nationalizing it violates the sensibilities of the minority - a very large minority that doesn't blow with the winds of public opinion.

Changing the culture should be hard - must be hard. Polls notwithstanding, once the heat from this issue fades, how many of those 58% will still be on board? You don't legislate (or hand down important court decisions) based on a popularity contest. The transient emotions involved in this issue should be set aside before the issue is examined fully, with all the potential consequences weighed.

That's not going to happen. So we are going to rush into a brave new world not having thought through the changes we are making as a society. Even if you support gay marriage, you should worry how its legality will be won.