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Plugging the pipe? Evaluating the (null) effects of leaks on Supreme Court legitimacy

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  • Nathan T. Carrington
  • Logan Strother

Abstract

Occasionally, information about the inner workings of the Supreme Court is leaked to the press by insiders—clerks, or even justices themselves. These leaks reliably stoke controversy among commentators and academics alike who pontificate on the negative effect leaks have on the Court's institutional legitimacy. However, it is not immediately clear from existing theories whether populating the media environment with leaked information will affect public perceptions of the Court, let alone the direction of such effects. In this paper, we use an original survey combined with an original survey experiment to test the extent to which, if any, leaks influence legitimacy ascribed to the Supreme Court. Analysis shows a tightly‐estimated null effect of leaks on public views on the Court.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathan T. Carrington & Logan Strother, 2023. "Plugging the pipe? Evaluating the (null) effects of leaks on Supreme Court legitimacy," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(3), pages 669-712, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:empleg:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:669-712
    DOI: 10.1111/jels.12362
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    5. Nathan T. Carrington & Colin French, 2021. "One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch: Kavanaugh and Change in Institutional Support for the Supreme Court," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(4), pages 1484-1495, July.
    6. Brandon L. Bartels & Christopher D. Johnston, 2013. "On the Ideological Foundations of Supreme Court Legitimacy in the American Public," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(1), pages 184-199, January.
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