The Impact of Popular Culture on American Perceptions of the Courts

19 Pages Posted: 10 Aug 2007

See all articles by David Ray Papke

David Ray Papke

Marquette University - Law School

Date Written: August 2007

Abstract

After a brief introduction defining popular culture as the commodities and experiences produced by the culture industry for mass audiences, this essay explores the impact of court-related popular culture on what Americans think of and expect from their courts. The Perry Mason effect from an earlier era and the CSI effect from the present are noted, as is scholarly work by Michael Asimow, Philip T. Dunwoody, Kimberlianne Podlas, Victoria S. Salzmann, and others. The essay concludes with suggestions for what might be done in the courthouse, the community, and the family room to control the impact of court-related popular culture on American legal consciousness.

Keywords: popular culture, courts, perceptions

JEL Classification: K10, K40, K41

Suggested Citation

Papke, David Ray, The Impact of Popular Culture on American Perceptions of the Courts (August 2007). Marquette Law School Legal Studies Paper No. 07-07, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1005385 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1005385

David Ray Papke (Contact Author)

Marquette University - Law School ( email )

Eckstein Hall
P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201
United States

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