The LegitimacyConferring Authority of the U.S. Supreme Court: An Experimental Design.” American Politics Research 29(6):566–591

Convention holds that the Supreme Court, because of its special constitutional role, can confer an element of legitimacy on a policy simply by endorsing it. In this study, we conducted an exper-iment to test the legitimacy-conferring effect of Court rulings on public opinion in two policy areas—affirmative action and regulation of phone rates. We found that in both cases, the Supreme Court had an impact on policy agreement and behavioral intentions that was moderated by other important variables. We conclude that the Supreme Court plays an important role in shaping public opinion and political behavior. Received wisdom holds that the U.S. Supreme Court, because of its nature and constitutional role, can confer an element of legitimacy on a policy simply by endorsing it. Steeped in tradition and ritual, operat-ing behind the “purple curtain, ” the Court’s members perceived as “high priests ” of the Constitution and endowed with a special warrant to protect and interpret that “Sacred Text, ” Court pronouncements can move the public to accept the policy outputs of itself and other agents of government. Or so the notion goes. But is that notion correct? Authors’Note: Earlier versions of this article were presented at the Annual Meeting of the South