This article looks at what kinds of normative expectations people have for how judges should decide cases, and how those expectations influence support for various proposals for judicial reform. We find that people who want cases decided purely on legal factors support judicial reform only when they perceive the Supreme Court to be motivated by ideology or political considerations. However, people who want judges to consider public opinion when deciding cases are more supportive of reforms that would make the Court more representative regardless of their perceptions of the Court. This shows that support for judicial reform is not solely driven by dissatisfaction with the Court’s decisions, and builds on our prior findings that the public does not monolithically desire a purely legalistic Court.

Link to Article: https://doi.org/10.1177/2755323X251330787