Today Gallup released a poll showing that the U.S. Supreme Court, which is set to convene today, is enjoying the highest approval ratings it has received in nearly a decade. Overall 61% of Americans approve of its performance and 28% disapprove.

According to the poll, the higher approval rating is the result of broader agreement with the Court’s ideological tenor:

The heightened public approval of the Supreme Court since last year is accompanied by a slight increase — from 43% to 50% — in the percentage of Americans saying the court is “about right” ideologically. That’s a positive shift for the court, and represents an all-time high.

At the same time, Gallup finds a nearly complete reversal of the percentages saying the court is either “too liberal” or “too conservative.” Today, 19% call the court too conservative, down from 30% in September 2008, while 28% call it too liberal, up from 21%.

In the past year, both Republicans and independents have become more likely to say the Supreme Court is too liberal. For Republicans, this is now the dominant view (held by 49%), while independents remain most likely to believe the court is about right (46%).

By contrast, Gallup documents a substantial increase in Democratic contentment with the court’s leanings. The majority of Democrats (59%) now say the court is about right, up from 34% in 2008. Since last September, the percentage of Democrats saying the court is too conservative has fallen from 50% to 30%.