Communication, Democracy and the United States Federal Judiciary
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Judicial Transparency: Communication, Democracy and the United States Federal Judiciary A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Communication by Katrina Hoch Committee in charge: Professor Robert Horwitz, Chair Professor Michal Belknap Professor Daniel Hallin Professor Valerie Hartouni Professor Alan Houston Professor Michael Schudson 2009 © Katrina Hoch, 2009. All rights reserved. The dissertation of Katrina Hoch is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2009 iii DEDICATION To my parents, Mary and Chris Hoch. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page...............................................................................................................iii Dedication......................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents............................................................................................................v Acknowledgements........................................................................................................ix Curriculum Vitae..........................................................................................................xii Abstract of the Dissertation.........................................................................................xiv Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: The ideal of government transparency and the judicial role...................21 What is government transparency? .........................................................................22 Pre-democratic roots............................................................................................... 25 Arguments in favor of transparency........................................................................28 Transparency creates informed citizens............................................................29 Transparency bolsters government legitimacy..................................................31 Transparency promotes accountability.............................................................36 Transparency decreases corruption ..................................................................39 Questioning the possibility of government transparency ........................................41 Exceptions to the expectation of transparency ........................................................49 The judiciary as a model of transparency................................................................52 Transparency and the judicial role ..........................................................................57 Transparency and the judiciary ...............................................................................67 Chapter Two: Modern transparency practices: Personalization, performance, mass media and the public.....................................................................................................69 Government transparency in the early republic.......................................................72 Nineteenth century democratic gains and political partisanship..............................78 Late nineteenth century liberal reforms and educational politics............................80 Two new styles of journalism and two new ways of informing citizens.................82 Advertising techniques and personalization ...........................................................83 Progressivism, democratic responsiveness and transparency..................................85 Maturing professional journalism and government messages ................................87 The presidentialization of politics and personalization...........................................91 Transparency measures in the new administrative state .........................................93 Post World War II reforms and the growing salience of transparency....................95 v Executive branch secrecy after World War II..........................................................96 The Freedom of Information Act.............................................................................98 The right to know and the press.............................................................................104 Adversarial journalism and distrust of authority...................................................106 Congressional reforms and government transparency...........................................110 Congressional scandals and publicizing personal lives.........................................114 Congressional television........................................................................................118 The 24-hour news environment.............................................................................124 The new procedural era and transparency’s unintended consequences.................126 The decline of journalistic professionalism ..........................................................129 Elections, majoritarianism and personalization ....................................................131 Blending governance and campaigning: The reign of public opinion ..................134 Political comedy and highlighting the performance of transparency ...................138 Conclusions: Personalization and performance.....................................................139 Modern transparency practices and the federal judiciary......................................146 Chapter Three: Performative democracy: Supreme Court confirmations and transparency................................................................................................................149 Part I: Transparency and the judicial role..............................................................151 Part II: Changes and consistency in the confirmation process..............................156 Advice, consent and ideology.........................................................................156 Changes in the level and form of conflict ......................................................159 The modern process takes shape.....................................................................164 Post-1967 nominations ...................................................................................166 Blaming the process .......................................................................................173 Part III: What contemporary transparency practices mean for confirmations ......177 Expectations of information and public involvement.....................................177 Contemporary confirmations and performance .............................................179 Contemporary confirmations and personalization .........................................183 Transparency, democracy and constitutionalism ...........................................188 Part IV: The Bush nominees and the performance of transparency......................190 Principles and politics in the hearings.............................................................190 Questions and answers in the Roberts hearings .............................................192 Translation in the Roberts hearings ...............................................................202 The Miers nomination ....................................................................................208 The Alito confirmation ……………………………………………………..210 The Sotomayor confirmation………………………………………………..214 Chapter Four: Dignity, fairness and modern media: The debate about cameras in courts ..........................................................................................................................218 Part I: Components of the debate ..........................................................................219 Public trials ....................................................................................................219 Levels of meaning created by trials ...............................................................221 Images and modern transparency practices ...................................................223 vi Why does all of this matter more in the judiciary? ........................................224 Part II: Policy changes and rationales ...................................................................226 Before Canon 35 ............................................................................................226 The trial of Bruno Hauptmann .......................................................................229 The ABA’s Canon 35: Debate and adoption .................................................231 Federal judicial rules: The prohibition gains the force of law........................241 The ABA continues to discuss Canon 35 .......................................................242 Supreme Court cases about cameras in the courtroom...................................247 Eliminating Canon 35.....................................................................................254 The Judicial Conference considers changes ...................................................255 The Supreme Court’s policies ........................................................................259 Congressional attempts to change policies ....................................................263 Part III: Assessing image-based transparency in trials .........................................265 Cameras