Access Note
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Document
Abstract
Black legal theorists often believe White Americans see Black judges as incapable of
deciding racial issues fairly. Using a survey experiment, we examine this by studying
perceptions of Black and White judges’ fairness through racial threat and group consciousness. Results show race consistently influences Black Americans’ evaluations of judges, with Black respondents viewing Black judges as fairer on racial issues. For White respondents, race only affects their views of judges in the context of racial resentment, otherwise playing no significant role. These results highlight the complex interplay of race in judicial evaluations.
Keywords: Perceptions of judges; Racial threat; Group consciousness; racial resentment; Use of survey
experiments in judicial politics
deciding racial issues fairly. Using a survey experiment, we examine this by studying
perceptions of Black and White judges’ fairness through racial threat and group consciousness. Results show race consistently influences Black Americans’ evaluations of judges, with Black respondents viewing Black judges as fairer on racial issues. For White respondents, race only affects their views of judges in the context of racial resentment, otherwise playing no significant role. These results highlight the complex interplay of race in judicial evaluations.
Keywords: Perceptions of judges; Racial threat; Group consciousness; racial resentment; Use of survey
experiments in judicial politics
Details
Department or Program
Issue Number
2025
Page Numbers
1-24
Peer Reviewed
Reviewed
Publication Date
2025-01-10
Source Publication
English
Rights
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Law and Courts Organized Section of the American Political Science Association.
Document Type
Access Level
