"When the Supreme Court rules on a controversial issue, it pulls public opinion in the direction of its decision," indicates Rosalee A. Clawson, professor of political science at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and coauthor of Legacy and Legitimacy: Black Americans and the Supreme Court.

• Position: NOTEWORTHY

"When the Supreme Court rules on a controversial issue, it pulls public opinion in the direction of its decision," indicates Rosalee A. Clawson, professor of political science at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and coauthor of Legacy and Legitimacy: Black Americans and the Supreme Court. The "legitimacy conferring effect" often produces a subtie influence. "This...