University of Wisconsin–Madison

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US considered charging Minnesota judges, lawyers in immigration crackdown, sources say

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In a previously unreported investigation, the U.S. Justice Department explored bringing criminal charges against Minnesota judges and defense attorneys who suggested virtual court hearings to protect undocumented immigrants from arrest by federal agents. The FBI launched a preliminary probe in early 2025, citing concerns that such practices might obstruct immigration enforcement. These virtual hearings, widely …

Hundreds of DOJ alumni warn Senate against Trump’s appellate judge nominee

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More than 900 former U.S. Department of Justice employees have signed a letter warning the Senate Judiciary Committee against confirming Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The letter, organized by the advocacy group Justice Connection, criticizes Bove’s leadership and alleged role in undermining constitutional norms, …

UN warns that lawyers are being imprisoned in Tunisia for speaking out

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The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has condemned the Tunisian government’s escalating repression of lawyers, warning that arrests and prosecutions of legal professionals for exercising free speech or defending politically sensitive clients pose a grave threat to judicial independence and fair trial rights. Central to the concern is the arrest of prominent lawyer Ahmed Souab …

Bove Nomination Opposed by Judges Who Sat on the Same Bench

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More than 75 former federal and state judges, including two retired members of the Third Circuit, have publicly opposed Emil Bove’s nomination to that same court, citing a pattern of misconduct, political entanglement, and disregard for legal norms during his time at the Justice Department. Their letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee raises concerns over …

Twelve Hong Kong activists appeal convictions in landmark ’47 democrats’ case

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Twelve pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have appealed their convictions and prison sentences in the landmark “47 democrats” case, which has become a global symbol of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent under the National Security Law. The case stems from a 2020 unofficial primary election organized by opposition figures, which authorities labeled a subversive plot. Of …

Hilbink (2021), “Constitutional Rewrite in Chile: Moving toward a Social and Democratic Rule of Law?”

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Lisa Hilbink, “Constitutional Rewrite in Chile: Moving toward a Social and Democratic Rule of Law?” Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, vol. 13, no. 2 (2021): 223-234.  Summary: Chile has often drawn the global spotlight, serving as a laboratory for some of the most dramatic political experiments of the past fifty-plus years. Popular discontent with …

Hilbink, Ingram (2019), “Courts and Rule of Law in Developing Countries.”

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Lisa Hilbink and Matthew C. Ingram, “Courts and Rule of Law in Developing Countries.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics (23 May 2019). Summary: Under what conditions can courts be effective and the rule of law be meaningful in developing countries? The great variation within and between the vast category of developing countries greatly complicates the …

KuKubal (2024), “Judicial Relational Legal Consciousness: Authoritarian Backsliding As A Catalyst Of Change.”

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Agnieszka Kubal, “Judicial Relational Legal Consciousness: Authoritarian Backsliding As A Catalyst Of Change.” Journal of Law and Society, vol. 51, (2024): 45-65. Summary: In the context of Poland’s authoritarian backsliding between 2015 and 2023, this article examines how legal professionals—particularly judges—respond to democratic erosion by reinterpreting and invoking human rights law. Some judges have taken …

Hanelt, Vincze (2025), “Managing Courts in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes: Co-Optation, Repression and Resistance in Hungary.”

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Etienne Hanelt and Attila Vincze,“Managing Courts In Competitive Authoritarian Regimes: Co-Optation, Repression And Resistance In Hungary.” Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft (2025): 1-20. Summary: This chapter investigates how attorneys, particularly judges, navigate judicial backsliding in Hungary’s competitive authoritarian regime. Despite formal guarantees of judicial independence, the government has implemented strategic reforms to control the judiciary while maintaining …

Kurban (2024), “Authoritarian Resitance and Judicial Complicity: Turkey and the European Court of Human Rights.”

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Dilek Kurban, “Authoritarian Resistance and Judicial Complicity: Turkey and the European Court of Human Rights.” European Journal of International Law, Vol. 35, No. 2 (2024): 355–387 Summary: International courts face growing contestations to their authority. Scholars have conceptualized the forms and grounds of such resistance as well as the response of international courts. Yet, in focusing …