In this Book

  • Legacy and Legitimacy: Black Americans and the Supreme Court
  • Book
  • Rosalee A. Clawson and Eric N. Waltenburg
  • 2008
  • Published by: Temple University Press
summary

Thoroughly grounded in the latest scholarly literature, theoretical sources, and experimental results, Legacy and Legitimacy substantially advances understanding of Black Americans’ attitudes toward the Supreme Court, the Court’s ability to influence Blacks’ opinions about the legitimacy of public institutions and policies, and the role of media in shaping Blacks’ judgments.

Drawing on legitimacy theory—which explains the acceptance of or tolerance for controversial policies—the authors begin by reexamining the significance of “diffuse support” in establishing legitimacy. They provide a useful overview of the literature on legitimacy and a concise history of the special relationship between Blacks and the Court. They investigate the influences of group attitudes and media “framing.” And they employ data from large-scale surveys to show that Blacks with greater levels of diffuse support for the Court are more likely to adopt positions consistent with Court rulings.

With its broad scope and inclusion of new experimental findings, Legacy and Legitimacy will interest students and scholars of judicial politics, racial politics, media and politics, black studies and public opinion.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Frontmatter
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. vii-viii
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  1. Preface
  2. pp. ix-xii
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  1. 1. Legitimacy and American Democracy
  2. pp. 1-16
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  1. 2. Blacks, Civil Rights, and the Supreme Court
  2. pp. 17-44
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  1. 3. Establishing the Supreme Court’s Legitimizing Capacity
  2. pp. 45-66
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  1. 4. Different Presses, Different Frames: Black and Mainstream Press Coverage of a Supreme Court Decision
  2. pp. 67-84
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  1. 5. Media Framing and the Supreme Court’s Legitimizing Capacity
  2. pp. 85-107
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  1. 6. The Supreme Court’s Legitimizing Capacity among African Americans: Support for Capital Punishment and Affirmative Action
  2. pp. 108-134
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  1. 7. The Causal Relationship between Public Opinion toward the Court and Its Policies: The University of Michigan Affirmative Action Cases
  2. pp. 135-151
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  1. 8. Conclusion
  2. pp. 152-169
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  1. Appendix A: Stimulus for Legitimacy Experiment
  2. pp. 171-172
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  1. Appendix B: List of Black Newspapers
  2. p. 173
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  1. Appendix C: Stimulus for Media Framing Experiment
  2. pp. 175-177
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  1. Appendix D: Question Wordings for Media Framing Experiment
  2. pp. 179-180
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  1. Appendix E: Blacks and the U.S. Supreme Court Survey
  2. pp. 181-182
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  1. Notes
  2. pp. 183-196
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  1. References
  2. pp. 197-207
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 209-217
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