There is no legitimacy crisis: Support for judicial institutions in modern Latin America

Abstract

While important for every political institution, diffuse support —also called institutional legitimacy— is especially vital for courts. Conventional wisdom suggests that the U.S. Supreme Court enjoys a uniquely high level of public support; widespread pessimism colors existing assessments of high courts’ legitimacy throughout the Americas. We show that not only is the U.S. Supreme Court not an anomaly, but the widespread assumption that Latin American courts are lacking in public legitimacy is fundamentally wrong. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this research for future endeavors and make our case for more careful measurement and interpretation of these critical concepts in future research.