One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch: Kavanaugh and Change in Institutional Support for the Supreme Court

Nathan T. Carrington and Colin French

Social Science Quarterly, 2021, vol. 102, issue 4, 1484-1495

Abstract: Objective We analyze the extent to which, if any, institutional support of the U.S. Supreme Court was influenced by the confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh. Methods We use a nationally representative survey supplemented with an online survey experiment using a hypothetical nominee both conducted shortly after the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh to the bench. Results We find a strong relationship between negative feelings toward Kavanaugh and support for reform of the Court and confirm the direction of this relationship in the subsequent experiment. Conclusion In contrast to Krewson and Schroedel, our findings show that appointing a nominee who behaves in an overtly political manner during their confirmation hearings can significantly and meaningfully affect the institutional support afforded to the nation's highest court.

Date: 2021
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