Shauna Hughey

Shauna Hughey

@shaunahughey.bsky.social

PhD Candidate at McMaster University in Comparative Public Policy. Interested in Canadian politics, law and public policy. She/her.

49 Followers 61 Following 2 Posts Joined Jan 2024
Posts Following
5 months ago
Abstract Longstanding public support for the Supreme Court of Canada is well-documented and contributes to its public legitimacy. However, the sources of this support and how vulnerable it may be to political factors or negative coverage of events are not well understood. In February of 2023, Justice Russell Brown took a leave of absence from the Supreme Court following a conduct complaint under review by the Canadian Judicial Council. Justice Brown retired from the bench in June of that year, before the CJC concluded its investigation. In the intervening period, media coverage of the events that prompted the attention from the CJC thrust the Court into the spotlight. Using data from an original two-wave survey experiment (n = 1,222) from May and November of 2023, we investigate whether perspectives toward the circumstances surrounding Brown’s retirement hurt perceptions of the Court’s legitimacy. We find that the event did not disrupt support for the Court over time but also point to the ways in which opinion toward the Court changed pre- and post-resignation. These findings suggest that support toward Canada’s high court is at present largely stable even in the case of negative coverage of a high-profile event. However, we also acknowledge the potential vulnerabilities that negative coverage of the Court may present.

New from RGCS alum Erin Crandall (PhD '13), Associate Professor of Politics at Acadia, and coauthors Andrea Lawlor and Shauna Hughey, in the Canadian Journal of Political Science

"Negative Spotlight: Event-Driven Effects on Support for the Canadian Supreme Court"

doi.org/10.1017/S000...

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6 months ago
Negative Spotlight: Event-Driven Effects on Support for the Canadian Supreme Court | Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique | Cambridge Core Negative Spotlight: Event-Driven Effects on Support for the Canadian Supreme Court

Thrilled to share a new research note by Erin Crandall, Andrea Lawlor, and myself out in @cjps-rcsp.bsky.social! We measure changes to public support for the Supreme Court of Canada following Justice Russell Brand's retirement.

bit.ly/4m0STEo

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10 months ago
Where Have the Women Gone? An Exploratory Study of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund's Shifting Advocacy | Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique | Cambr... Where Have the Women Gone? An Exploratory Study of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund's Shifting Advocacy

Very excited to announce a new research note with @daniellemcnabb.bsky.social in the Canadian Journal of Political Science: Where Have the Women Gone? An Exploratory Study of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund's Shifting Advocacy.

bit.ly/4iVWkuB

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