Public confidence in American courts and lawyers is strikingly low

Evidence

Combined with our fascination with the legal order, however, is often a concern about the law and American legal institutions. A Harris poll conducted in 2008, for example, found that only 16 percent of Americans voiced “a great deal of confidence” in those running the courts and the justice system. … It is reflected more directly in poll data expressing dissatisfaction with attorneys and law firms: a 2008 Harris poll found that only 10 percent of Americans had “a great deal of confidence” in law firms, while a Gallup poll a year earlier revealed that only 15 percent of Americans rated the honesty and ethical standards of lawyers as “high or very high.” The sense that Americans are dissatisfied with their legal system led George W. Bush in his 2004 reelection campaign to charge that lawyers filing “frivolous lawsuits” were driving up the costs of health care and preventing American companies from competing effectively in the global marketplace. Simply put, there is a widespread perception that American legal institutions are not working very well. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 98

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: American confidence in courts is low and deeply split along racial lines — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 80; Unpredictable legal jurisdiction destroys rule of law and trust in courts — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 1838; Anti-minority discrimination spikes when confidence in American institutions is low — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 285 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• American confidence in courts is low and deeply split along racial lines #expands (0.95) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 80
• Unpredictable legal jurisdiction destroys rule of law and trust in courts #expands (0.78) — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 1838
• Anti-minority discrimination spikes when confidence in American institutions is low #expands (0.75) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 285