Judicial Power and Strategic Communication in Mexico
Cambridge University Press, 3/22/2010
EAN 9780521195218, ISBN10: 0521195217
Hardcover, 236 pages, 23.5 x 16 x 1.8 cm
Language: English
Although they are not directly accountable to voters, constitutional court judges communicate with the general public through the media. In Judicial Power and Strategic Communication in Mexico, Jeffrey K. Staton argues that constitutional courts develop public relations strategies in order to increase the transparency of judicial behavior and promote judicial legitimacy. Yet, in some political contexts there can be a tension between transparency and legitimacy, and for this reason, courts cannot necessarily advance both conditions simultaneously. The argument is tested via an analysis of the Mexican Supreme Court during Mexico's recent transition to democracy, and also through a cross-national analysis of public perceptions of judicial legitimacy. The results demonstrate that judges can be active participants in the construction of their own power. More broadly, the study develops a positive political theory of institutions, which highlights the connections between democratization and the rule of law.
Part I. Judicial Communication and Judicial Power
1. Introduction
2. A model of constitutional review and case promotion
Appendix 2
Part II. The Politics of Constitutional Review in Mexico
3. Public relations on the Mexican Supreme Court
4. Decisions, case promotion, and compliance in Mexico
Appendix 4A
Appendix 4B
Part III. Relationships between Transparency and Legitimacy
5. Constitutional review and the development of judicial legitimacy
Appendix 5
6. A cross-national analysis of judicial legitimacy
7. Democracy and the development of judicial power.