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 …
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 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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
In a February 10, 2026 news release, Human Rights Watch says Tunisian authorities are arbitrarily detaining prominent lawyer and human rights defender Ahmed Souab, who was convicted on terrorism-related charges linked to remarks he made outside court while representing defendants in the “conspiracy against state security” case. Souab was sentenced on October 31, 2025 to …
On February 10, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department said it asked federal prosecutors to identify the “most egregious” cases of judges allegedly obstructing President Donald Trump’s agenda, information the department says could help Congress consider responses including impeachment referrals. The move escalates the administration’s public campaign against judges who have blocked parts of its immigration …
Qin Ma. “Who are the Chinese Sǐkē (Diehard) Lawyers?—A Belated Clarification.” China Law and Society Review, vol. 10, no. 1 (2025): 1-50. This article explores the emergence and evolution of Sǐkē lawyers, a distinctive group of Chinese criminal defense lawyers who rose to prominence around 2009. Known for their zealous advocacy, emphasis on procedural rights, …