James L. Gibson

Gibson and Milton Lodge will examine the use of judicial symbols (robes of judges, the honorific forms of address, the temple-like buildings in which courts are usually housed) to inculcate democratic values in different cultural contexts. They will test their hypothesis that citizens who positively view judicial symbols are more likely to accept court decisions they disagree with. They hope to understand why people obey the law and whether judicial symbols enhance the efficacy of courts. They will also use data from pilot studies to examine differences in how immigrants and native-born Americans respond to judicial symbols.