Dataset: Return of the Justice: The Power of Justices to Improve Citizen Attitudes Towards the Supreme Court
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2025
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Supreme Court
public support
judicial rhetoric
public support
judicial rhetoric
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The Supreme Court’s power depends on public support. While prior research has focused on threats to the Court’s reputation, scholars are only beginning to examine how justices might bolster public perceptions through rhetoric conveyed in news coverage. We add to this burgeoning literature with a two-wave survey experiment in which respondents were randomly assigned to a control group or to one of eight framed media messages emphasizing unanimous decisions, nonpartisanship, ethical commitments, or judicial restraint. Half of the messages also included context about current divisions on the Court. We evaluate the effects of our treatments on perceived politicization, specific approval, and evaluations of justices’ traits. Most messages shift attitudes in predicted directions, including those with explicit political context. Nonpartisanship appeals generate the largest and most persistent gains. A follow-up survey five to nine days later shows these effects persist, indicating that judicial rhetoric can meaningfully strengthen public support.