(CNN) Justice Anthony Kennedy, a Republican appointee who provided key swing votes for same-sex marriage, abortion access and affirmative action, has announced his retirement from the Supreme Court. This decision will affect the court for a long time to come as President Donald Trump will have his second chance to nominate a justice in less than two years in office.

This time, Republicans who control the Senate may try to speed up the process, to get a nominee seated before midterm elections in November. It would be a switch from the last year of the Barack Obama presidency, when Republicans slowed down the process to block Obama's nominee.

No wonder Americans think the process is too political.

A large majority of respondents to a spring 2017 Quinnipiac poll , taken just after Trump's first nominee, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed,said the process of confirming Supreme Court justices has become too partisan -- with 68% saying so, compared with 13% who said it's the "right amount" of partisanship.

All partisan groups showed a majority saying it has become too partisan -- 62% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats and independents. But Republicans were twice as likely to say it's the right amount of partisan -- 22% to Democrats' 11% and independents' 10%.

Read More