Final answer:
Public confidence in the Supreme Court has shown stability but experiences fluctuations following high-profile rulings that capture public interest, with significant partisan splits in approval ratings.
Step-by-step explanation:
Public confidence in the Supreme Court has traditionally been more stable compared to the executive and legislative branches due to its less visible nature. However, this confidence can fluctuate in response to the Court's rulings on high-profile cases.
For instance, after the Bush v. Gore case in 2000, there was a stark partisan split in approval with 80 percent of Republicans in favor compared to only 42 percent of Democrats. Similarly, in the wake of the 2012 ruling of National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, Democrat approval rose to 68 percent while Republican support fell to 29 percent.