Poll: 10 Percent of College Grads Think Judge Judy Is on Supreme Court

Ten percent of college graduates believe TV's Judge Judy is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a survey that looked at the public's understanding of government.

The survey, titled "A Crisis in Civic Education," was conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in August and released this month.

Judge Judith Sheindlin appears on the syndicated television show "Judge Judy," where she decided small claims cases and does not sit on the bench of the highest court in the land.

The pollsters talked to 1,000 college graduates and determined they "are alarmingly ignorant of America's history and heritage."

Among other findings:

• 28.4 percent knew James Madison was the father of the Constitution.
• About 59 percent thought it was Thomas Jefferson, who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence.
• 60 percent could not identify a requirement for ratifying a constitutional amendment.
• 40 percent did not know Congress has the power to declare war.
• Almost half did not know that senators serve six-year terms and representatives serve two-year terms.
• Fewer than 50 percent knew presidential impeachments are tried in the Senate.

The survey was conducted online August 28 and 30. The margin of error on weighted data is plus-or-minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and is higher for subgroups.

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