Behind the Bench: Power Dynamics in the Supreme Court of the United States Through the Lens of Construal Level
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.118.17423Keywords:
Power dynamics in the Supreme Court, Construal level Theory, political ideology, types of opinions, tenureAbstract
Power dynamics exist among the nine justices on the Supreme Court. Through the lens of construal level, the justices’ psychological distance can indicate power, which can ultimately affect the decision-making process on case deliberation. This research examines power dynamics arising from tenure, gender, and political ideology of the justices, and the type of opinion written, through language conveyed in written opinions. I find that tenure, gender and political ideology have some association with abstraction, certainty, positive affect and/or future orientation, suggesting that justices have predictable behavioral implications stemming from their power level. Results for the type of opinions show significance for the opposite prediction, with concurring and dissenting opinions exhibiting more abstract, certain and positive. Exploring power dynamics among the justices helps to unpack the decision-making process in the High Court.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Mykaela L. Chang
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.