Testing racial and ethnic differences in the correlates of court legitimacy

Purpose: To explore perceptions of court legitimacy and the correlates of these perceptions, as well as assess whether the correlates of court legitimacy vary by race and ethnicity. Methods: Regression analysis of data from an online survey (N = 593) of U.S. adults, closely matching Census demographics with an overrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities. Results: Theoretical antecedents of legitimacy (procedural justice, distributive justice, and effectiveness) predict higher levels of perceived court legitimacy. There are few differences in the antecedents of legitimacy by respondents' race or ethnicity. Conclusions: Key correlates of court legitimacy mirror those of police legitimacy and are also largely invariant across race and ethnicity. Black respondents reported the lowest levels of perceived court legitimacy in general. Future research should further explore the reasons for this difference.