8: How the Public Perceives Courts

Courts are often said to hold a “reservoir of goodwill” that lets them prevail even when their decisions are unpopular. But where does public support for courts come from? This week we seek to understand the sources of judicial legitimacy amongst the public, from legal symbols to partisanship and ideology.

Mandatory readings

Gibson, James L., and Michael J. Nelson. “Reconsidering Positivity Theory: What Roles do Politicization, Ideological Disagreement, and Legal Realism Play in Shaping U.S. Supreme Court Legitimacy?” Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 14, no. 3 (2017): 592-617. https://doi.org/10.1111/jels.12157

Bartels, Brandon L., and Christopher D. Johnston. “On the Ideological Foundations of Supreme Court Legitimacy in the American Public.” American Journal of Political Science 57, no. 1 (2013): 184-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2012.00616.x

Gandur, Martín. “Trust in the Judiciary and Partisan Reactions to Judicial Checks: Evidence from Argentina.” British Journal of Political Science 55 (2025): e126. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123425100781

Optional readings

Gibson, James L., Gregory A. Caldeira, and Vanessa A. Baird. “On the Legitimacy of National High Courts.” American Political Science Review 92, no. 2 (1998): 343-358. https://doi.org/10.2307/2585668

Caldeira, Gregory A., and James L. Gibson. “The Etiology of Public Support for the Supreme Court.” American Journal of Political Science 36, no. 3 (1992): 635-664. https://doi.org/10.2307/2111585

Garoupa, Nuno, and Pedro C. Magalhães. “Public trust in the European legal systems: independence, accountability and awareness.” West European Politics 44, no. 3 (2021): 690-713. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2020.1715605

Krehbiel, Jay N. “Public Awareness and the Behavior of Unpopular Courts.” British Journal of Political Science 51, no. 4 (2021): 1601-1619. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123419000723

Bartels, Brandon L., and Eric Kramon. “Does Public Support for Judicial Power Depend on Who is in Political Power? Testing a Theory of Partisan Alignment in Africa.” American Political Science Review 114, no. 1 (2020): 144-163. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055419000704

De Micheli, David, and Whitney K. Taylor. “Public Trust in Latin America’s Courts: Do Institutions Matter?” Government and Opposition 59, no. 1 (2024): 146-167. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2022.6

Hemrajani, Rahul. “Trust in the (Measures of Legitimacy of) Courts.” Political Research Quarterly 79, no. 3 (2026): 765-780. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129261435391

Castillo-Ortiz, Pablo, and Rosa M. Navarrete. “Citizens’ trust in constitutional courts: evidence from Spain.” European Political Science Review 18, no. 2 (2026): 317-331. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773925100180

Acheampong, Joseph Ofori, and Damon M. Cann. “Assessing Public Trust in Ghana’s Courts.” Journal of Law and Courts 13, no. 1 (2025): 184-194. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlc.2024.24