University of Wisconsin–Madison

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Condemning lengthy prison sentences imposed on Turkish lawyers for lawful professional and human rights work

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A coalition of international legal and human rights organizations, including the New York City Bar Association, issued a joint statement condemning the January 28, 2026 convictions of 10 ÖHD lawyers and 20 TUAD executives/staff by Istanbul’s 14th Heavy Penal Court. The statement argues the charges—primarily “membership of an armed organisation” and, in some instances, “propaganda”—stemmed …

The price of public life: Judges and other officials doxed, swatted, threatened with death

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A CBS News investigation documents a sharp rise in threats targeting U.S. public officials—especially judges—amid a political climate where online harassment is increasingly common and sometimes escalates into real-world violence. The story begins with a Minnesota man, Jeffrey Petersen, accused of posting menacing comments under pseudonyms tied to infamous mass shootings and directing threats at …

The price of public life: Judges and other officials doxed, swatted, threatened with death

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A February 2026 CBS News investigation reveals a dramatic surge in threats, doxxing, and swatting against U.S. public officials, with 126 people federally charged in 2025 for threatening government figures — more than triple the number from a decade ago. Targets span all three branches of government, including federal judges, members of Congress, law enforcement …

How Trump and Bondi transformed the DOJ to push his agenda and challenge detractors

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In a PBS NewsHour report (Feb. 17, 2026), Ali Rogin examines how the Trump administration and Attorney General Pam Bondi have reshaped the U.S. Department of Justice. The report highlights a sharp decline in DOJ staffing, with about 9,000 employees (roughly 8% of the workforce) leaving since early 2025, and describes concerns from former and …

2026 WILJ Symposium on Lawyers, Judges, and Creeping Authoritarianism

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On February 12–13, 2026, the Wisconsin International Law Journal Symposium—co-sponsored by the Lawyers and Democratic Decline (LADD) project—brought scholars and practitioners to the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison for two days of conversation on “Challenges Posed to Judges and Lawyers by Creeping Authoritarianism,” with panels spanning judicial behavior and constraint (including cases from …

Albanian PM seeks to stop judiciary from suspending ministers

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Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his government will change the law to prevent ministers from being suspended while under criminal investigation, after a court suspended Deputy PM Belinda Balluku in November over alleged tender interference (which she denies). The proposal deepens a standoff with Albania’s anti-graft prosecutors (SPAK), who have asked parliament to lift …

Trump instructs spy agencies to provide intelligence to his ‘Stop the Steal’ lawyer

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President Donald Trump has directed the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies to give classified election-related intelligence to Kurt Olsen, a former Trump campaign lawyer who helped lead post-2020 election challenges and was later hired by the administration to investigate the 2020 election. A CIA spokesperson said the agency is ensuring Olsen has the access …

Judge reads death threats during hearing on Trump decision to end legal protections for Haitians

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A federal judge, Ana Reyes (U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.), read aloud death threats and profane messages she received after ruling that the Trump administration cannot immediately end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians while a lawsuit proceeds. At a Thursday hearing, she refused to pause (stay) her earlier order and said judges “will …

Erdoğan appoints controversial prosecutor as justice minister, sparking opposition backlash

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has appointed İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek as Turkey’s new justice minister, prompting a sharp backlash from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The CHP argues the move confirms a politically driven judicial campaign against the party, citing Gürlek’s role in investigations and prosecutions targeting opposition figures and municipalities, …

New judicial ethics code says judges may speak out against ‘illegitimate’ attacks

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A new federal judiciary ethics opinion clarifies that judges may publicly defend the courts (and even judicial colleagues) against “illegitimate” criticism and attacks that threaten judicial independence or the rule of law—so long as they do so in a measured way. The guidance comes amid escalating political pressure on judges, including rhetoric from President Donald …