In person icon Courts and Public Support

Abstract

Public support is considered to be central for courts to defend against political interference and to enhance compliance with their decisions. In view of the rise of populist governments worldwide, the risk of political attacks on judicial independence increases – hence it is of utmost importance to gain deeper knowledge on the input and output factors of public support: Which factors influence the level of public support enjoyed by a court? What can courts themselves do to increase their level of public support? The panel includes papers on various aspects related to these and further questions. The papers study both national and regional courts, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Among the factors influencing public support for courts, the panel discusses formal and informal court-curbing, individual partisanship, the role of societal actors, the degree of individual satisfaction with domestic democracy and the rule of law as well as the perception of the courts´ appearance of independence. The discussion will evaluate the courts´ possibilities to increase public support in different settings and under various challenges and identify avenues for future research.

Title	Details
The Sources of Public Support for European Courts: ECs as Last Resort for the Losers of Domestic Systems?	View Paper Details
How Does Court-Curbing Affect Public Trust in the Judiciary?	View Paper Details
Manipulating Perceptions: The Role of Societal Actors in Shaping Public Support in Courts in Hybrid Regimes	View Paper Details
Assessing the Appearances of Independence of the CJEU and ECtHR	View Paper Details
Studying Public Support for Courts in Polarized Societies	View Paper Details