Our Mission
The Lawyers and Democratic Decline (LADD) project brings together an international community of scholars investigating the role of lawyers in resisting — and at times enabling — authoritarianism in contexts of democratic backsliding.
Through collaborative research, comparative analysis, and public events, LADD explores how legal professionals navigate repression, uphold democratic norms, and negotiate their professional identity in times of political crisis.
Updates
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Turkish lawyers allege torture, harsh confinement of detainees jailed before NATO summit
The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) announced on August 21 that it will file criminal complaints against prison administrators and guards after its members documented evidence of physical abuse during visits to detainees…
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Turkish police detain second lawyer for Islamic preacher critical of gov’t as investigation expands
Turkish police detained lawyer Alişan İnci on August 21, the second defense lawyer for government critic and Islamic preacher Alparslan Kuytul taken into custody within three days. Bilal İpek, another of Kuytul’s…
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128 retired jurists file ethics complaint over DHS lawyer’s ‘attacks’ via social media on 4 sitting judges
On August 20, 128 retired federal and state judges, joined by the Democracy Defenders Fund and Lawyers Defending American Democracy, filed a Florida Bar complaint against Department of Homeland Security General Counsel…
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Justice Department Argues It’s OK if It’s Under Trump Control
In an August 18 filing in the Eastern District of North Carolina opposing James Comey’s vindictive-prosecution motion, federal prosecutors argued that presidential direction of subordinates exercising executive functions is “a feature, not…
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Guatemala’s next chapter: How change in the public prosecutor’s office raises hope for democracy
Three months after taking office on May 15, Attorney General Gabriel García Luna — a career judge and former president of the Judicial Disciplinary Board — has closed FECI, the politicized special…
Upcoming Events
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