01393nam a2200157Ia 4500008004100000100002100041245011100062260000900173300001500182504000800197520092900205650001901134650002701153700002201180773003301202181130s2018    xx            000 0 und d  aWedeking, Justin  aDisagreeable rhetoric and the prospect of public opposition:bopinion moderation on the U.S. Supreme Court  c2018  ap.380-394.  dJun  aElite rhetoric is an important aspect of democracy, and understanding why elites alter their rhetorical tone is vital to understanding the nature of public�elite interaction. In this paper, we identify the conditions under which insulated elites respond to public opinion by changing the amount of disagreeable rhetoric they emphasize. We examine Supreme Court opinions and theorize that the majority limits the use of disagreeable rhetoric�language with harsh, unpleasant, or negative connotations�in salient cases with the intention of dulling public opposition to rulings. We test our expectations on two levels, the first using a broad measure of public mood on a large sample of cases and the second using a small sample with issue-specific public opinion measures. We find that as public opinion diverges from the Court, the majority tones down its disagreeable rhetoric, but only in salient cases. - Reproduced.  aPublic opinion  aSupreme Court - U.S.A.  aZilis, Michael A.  aPolitical Research Quarterly