Reforming the Bench: Public Support for Supreme Court Institutional Change

Abstract

Abstract Approval of the Supreme Court recently hit its lowest point in decades. Calls for reforming the Court have gained traction as a result. In this study, we look at how media framing can influence public support for two specific reforms: Court packing and term limits. In a survey experiment, we provide respondents with either a pro-, anti-, or mixed-valence framed message about one of these two reforms. We find support for the proposition that media messages have the power to decrease support for reform but not to increase support for reform. Additionally, we theorize that highlighting the conflict surrounding the Court activates ideological considerations individuals hold toward the Court. In support of this theory, we find that discussing either Court packing or term limits decreases specific support of the high Court among Democrats and increases specific support among Republicans across all conditions.