Two Zimbabwean human rights lawyers, Douglas Coltart and Tapiwa Muchineripi, were arrested after advising police not to interrogate their hospitalized clients—opposition activists who reported being abducted and tortured. Rights groups say the arrests amount to the “criminalization of the profession” and an attack on lawyers’ independence. Both lawyers, members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, …
Multiple federal judges, including some appointed by Donald Trump, have openly criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for what they see as its “inexcusable” pattern of siding with the Trump administration by overturning lower court rulings with little or no explanation. In interviews with NBC News, ten judges expressed frustration that the conservative-majority court’s actions not …
On August 29, 2025, Belarusian authorities escalated their campaign against the legal profession by designating the Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers (BAHRL) an “extremist formation.” This move threatens members and associates with up to 10 years in prison for alleged affiliation. BAHRL, formed by exiled lawyers stripped of their licenses, has worked to defend …
Veteran Washington lawyer Abbe Lowell has emerged as one of the only attorneys in Washington willing to take on Donald Trump during his second term, after the president targeted law firms representing immigrants, diversity causes, or other opposition. While big firms backed away from cases under pressure, Lowell left his practice to open his own …
A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s unusual lawsuit targeting all 15 federal judges in Maryland. The administration had challenged an order by Chief Judge George L. Russell III that temporarily blocks the immediate deportation of immigrants who file habeas petitions, giving courts time to review their cases and ensure access to attorneys. Judge …
Babakhani, A. (2023). Agents of Change or Agents of the Status Quo: Iranian Lawyers’ Approaches to Women Seeking Divorce in the Context of Discriminatory Divorce Law (Doctoral dissertation, University of Delaware). Summary: Since the 1979 revolution in Iran, the state has relegated women to a subordinate position, treating them as second-class citizens. Existing literature on …
Tamir Moustafa, The Rule of Law in Egypt: Prospects and Challenges. Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law, Rule of Law Quick Scan Series, April 2012. Summary: In the wake of Hosni Mubarak’s fall in 2011, Egypt stood at a critical juncture with the chance to rebuild its political and legal institutions. Moustafa situates the …
Tamir Moustafa, “Law versus the State: The Judicialization of Politics in Egypt.” Law & Social Inquiry 28, no. 4 (2003): 883–930. Summary: Why would an authoritarian regime empower a constitutional court? Moustafa explains Egypt’s paradox by arguing that the regime created an independent Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) chiefly to make credible commitments to protect property …
At the inauguration of the Hyderabad branch of the London-based 52 Gates Law Firm, IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu urged legal professionals to zealously protect India’s Constitution. He emphasized that the egalitarian framework, crafted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and nurtured by Jawaharlal Nehru, is under threat from forces seeking to undermine democracy. Sridhar …
Maurice Glasman argues that the migrant crisis symbolizes the collapse of the international rules-based order, which placed sovereignty in courts and lawyers rather than in politics and parliaments. This system—built on human rights treaties and the free movement of people, goods, and capital—eroded democratic decision-making and left governments unable to respond to public concerns about …