University of Wisconsin–Madison

Month: August 2025

Mavedzenge (2025), “The Price They Pay for Their Independence: Understanding the Persecution of Judges in Africa as Retribution for their Impartiality.”

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Justice Alfred Mavedzenge, “The Price They Pay for Their Independence: Understanding the Persecution of Judges in Africa as Retribution for their Impartiality.” Southern African Public Law, vol. 40, no. 1 (2025): 1-28.  Summary: Various recent research studies suggest that most judiciaries in Africa are captured by the ruling elites and are being weaponised to persecute political …

DOJ Seeks Sanctions Against California Immigration Lawyer in High-Profile Deportation Case

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The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to impose monetary sanctions on Los Angeles attorney Joshua Schroeder, marking the first known case under President Trump’s March 2025 directive to punish lawyers engaged in what the administration calls “frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation” against the government. Schroeder, who took the case pro bono, briefly halted the …

Sadurski (2025), “Judicial Review Versus Populist Authoritarianism.”

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Wojciech Sadurski, “Judicial Review Versus Populist Authoritarianism.” Comparative Political Studies, vol. 3, no. 1 (2025): 81-105.  Summary: Populist authoritarianism is a common form of democratic backsliding these days. Can courts do anything to prevent or minimize the damage produced by the growth of such political regimes? The awareness that democracy requires judges (among other institutions) …

Dias (2025), “Rule by Law in Democratic Regimes: How Legal Actors Undermined Democracy in Brazil.”

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Vitor Martins Dias, “Rule by Law in Democratic Regimes: How Legal Actors Undermined Democracy in Brazil.” March 19, 2025. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5185132 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5185132 Summary: This article analyzes how prosecutors, judges, and police officers coordinated efforts that undermined the rule of law in Brazil, the world’s fourth-largest democracy. Such practices are often institutionalized in non-democratic …

Edmore (2025): “Self Inflicted Wounds: Financial Crime and Judicial System in a Semi-Authoritarian Zimbabwe.”

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Munjeyi Edmore, “Self Inflicted Wounds: Financial Crime and Judicial System in a Semi-Authoritarian Zimbabwe.” Journal of Economic Criminology, Vol. 9, no. 1 (2025): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconc.2025.100173 Summary: There is a wealth of literature that describes and theorizes about the practices of economic and financial crime in the Global North and South, but little research has been done …

Sari (2025), “Guarding the Constitution in Silence: How Judges Experience Independence Under Executive Pressure.”

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Retno Dewi Pulung Sari, “Guarding the Constitution in Silence: How Judges Experience Independence Under Executive Pressure.” Hukmuna: Journal of Law and Policy, vol. 1, no. 6 (2025): 234-241 Summary: Judicial independence is a cornerstone of constitutional law, especially in transitional democracies where political pressures challenge institutional integrity. While prior research has examined legal frameworks and formal …