Judicial public relations: Determinants of press release publication by constitutional courts

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review

Authors

  • Philipp Meyer

Research Organisations

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Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)477-493
Number of pages17
JournalPolitics
Volume40
Issue number4
Early online date26 Nov 2019
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2020

Abstract

It remains unclear what institutional characteristics determine the publication of press releases by constitutional courts. Research has revealed that courts use press releases to disseminate information; however, little is known about when exactly courts choose to publish a press release on a ruling. By focusing on institutional elements, this study argues that press releases form a part of judicial public relations and are used to enhance openness and transparency surrounding specific court rulings. This argument is tested empirically via a novel dataset on the activities of the German Federal Constitutional Court. Based on 1131 senate rulings decided between 1996 and 2018, this study demonstrates that proceeding types and changes to the status quo are the main characteristics that determine the publication of court press releases, whereas intra-judicial and internal conflicts are revealed to be less influential.

Keywords

    constitutional courts, judicial politics, political communication, political public relations, press releases

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Research Area (based on ÖFOS 2012)

  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
  • Media and Communication Sciences
  • Media and Communication Sciences
  • Public relations

Cite this

Judicial public relations: Determinants of press release publication by constitutional courts. / Meyer, Philipp.
In: Politics, Vol. 40, No. 4, 11.2020, p. 477-493.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review

Meyer P. Judicial public relations: Determinants of press release publication by constitutional courts. Politics. 2020 Nov;40(4):477-493. Epub 2019 Nov 26. doi: 10.1177/0263395719885753
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