The Trump administration has escalated tensions with Brazil by sanctioning Viviane Barci de Moraes, wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the criminal case against Jair Bolsonaro. The U.S. also revoked visas for six senior Brazilian officials and targeted the Lex Institute, a family-linked financial entity it suspects could be used to …
In his first public remarks since leaving the Justice Department, former special counsel Jack Smith cautioned that the rule of law is facing unprecedented threats. Speaking at George Mason University, Smith condemned political interference in prosecutions, selective targeting of opponents, and protection of presidential allies from accountability. Smith pointed to recent DOJ turmoil, including prosecutors …
As the Trump administration escalates politically motivated firings, blocks congressionally approved funds, and pressures major law firms, a wave of smaller legal outfits has stepped in to defend democracy and the rule of law. Key players include Lowell & Associates, Democracy Defenders Fund, and the Washington Litigation Group. These firms—staffed by veteran attorneys, ex-Justice Department …
In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump is openly pressuring the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute his political opponents, including Jim Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff. His blunt demands on social media and political reshuffling inside DOJ have deepened fear and uncertainty among career attorneys. Trump recently replaced a top federal prosecutor in …
Holgado, B. G., & Urribarri, R. S. (2024). The Dark Side of Legalism: Abuse of the Law and Democratic Erosion in Argentina, Ecuador, and Venezuela. American Behavioral Scientist, 68(12), 1578-1596. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642241268332 (Original work published 2024) The article investigates why some elected leaders successfully employ legalistic strategies to erode democracy from within and under what conditions …
Michelson, E., & Li, K. (2012, May). Judicial performance without independence: the delivery of justice and political legitimacy in rural China. In Prepared for workshop on works-in-progress on Chinese law. The debate over whether weak judicial independence undermines judicial performance and regime legitimacy in authoritarian contexts remains unresolved. Using survey data from 23 Chinese villages in …
de Sa e Silva, Fabio de. “Autocratic Legalism 2.0: Insights from a Global Collaborative Research Project.” Verfassung Und Recht in Übersee / Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America 55, no. 4 (2022): 419–40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27305889. Since the early 2000s, scholars have increasingly examined the phenomenon of democratic backsliding. While legal analysis was initially peripheral …
de Sa e Silva, F. (2020). From Car Wash to Bolsonaro: Law and lawyers in Brazil’s illiberal turn (2014–2018). Journal of Law and Society, 47(S1), S51–S73. https://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12250 The article examines the role of law and lawyers in Brazil’s recent democratic decline. While legal professionals are often depicted as either victims of or counterforces …
Abolfazl Ranjbari, a lawyer and writer, has been imprisoned in Tabriz for 138 days without clear charges. Arrested by security forces on May 4, he spent two months under interrogation before being transferred to Tabriz Prison. Authorities have denied him bail, family visits, and communication. Ranjbari’s case has been referred to court, but no trial …
This American Life #868 — “The Hand That Rocks the Gavel.” Reporters spend weeks inside New York’s immigration court, where ICE detains people in courthouse hallways as immigration judges describe unprecedented pressure from the DOJ to dismiss cases and defer to enforcement. The episode reveals policy memos, mass firings, and new precedents that narrow asylum …