Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said on Monday that a majority of Americans are not completely clear on how the Supreme Court works.

"People don't know how many judges there are. The average guess is 19," Lake, who is the president of Lake Research Partners, told Hill.TV's Joe Concha on "What America's Thinking."

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"They also think that they're not lifetime appointees. They think when Trump changes, they'll change. So the process is not a very winning argument for us. I think it's more the substance," she continued.

Lake's comments come after Justice Anthony Kennedy, often considered the court's swing vote, announced last week that he was retiring, opening the door for President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE to nominate a conservative to the court.

Trump said last week he has narrowed down his list of potential nominees to five people.

The development has sparked concern among liberals about the future of major court rulings, including Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.

Conservative groups in turn have predicted they will exceed their past expenditures over the summer and the fall to promote Trump's nominee.

Republican pollster Conor Maguire told Concha that while some Americans do not follow news surrounding the court religiously, there is a large group of people who do.

"People do take a step back when it's not in the news every day. They're not paying attention to it, they're not talking to their friends about it," Maguire said.

"But you got to remember there's a big group of people that really care about it," he continued. "There is a good chunk that not only understand it, they understand its implications down 50 years, down 100 years for our country, and they act upon it."

— Julia Manchester