Shoaib A Ghias, “Miscarriage of Chief Justice: Judicial Power and the Legal Complex in Pakistan under Musharraf.” Law & Social Inquiry, vol. 35, no. 4 (2010): 985–1022. Summary: This article explores the struggle for judicial power in Pakistan under Pervez Musharraf focusing on two questions. First, how did pro‐Musharraf regime judges expand judicial power, leading …
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 …
Nora Webb Williams, Margaret Hanson, “Captured Courts and Legitimized Autocrats: Transforming Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court.” Law & Social Inquiry vol. 47, no. 4 (2022): 1201–33. Summary: Contemporary dictators routinely co-opt institutions crucial for democratic governance. Although an extensive literature examines why and how aspiring autocrats bring elections and parties under their control, constitutions—and the judicial or quasi-judicial …
Natalie Wenzell Letsa, Yonatan L Morse, “Autocratic Legalism, Partisanship, and Popular Legitimation in Authoritarian Cameroon.” Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 87, No. 4 (2023): Pages 935–955 Summary: Authoritarian regimes regularly turn to the law to justify repression. This article examines whether invoking legal institutions has a persuasive effect on public perceptions of repression, and whether that effect …
Rachel E Bowen. The Achilles Heel of Democracy: Judicial Autonomy and the Rule of Law in Central America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Summary: Featuring the first in-depth comparison of the judicial politics of five under-studied Central American countries, The Achilles Heel of Democracy offers a novel typology of ‘judicial regime types’ based on the political …
Rachel Ibreck, South Sudan’s Injustice System: Law and Activism on the Frontline. London: Zed Books, 2019. Summary: Coming into existence amid a wave of optimism in 2011, South Sudan has since slid into violence and conflict. Even in the face of escalating civil war, however, the people of the country continue to fight for justice, despite …
Natalie Wenzell Letsa, Yonatan L Morse, “Autocratic Legalism, Partisanship, and Popular Legitimation in Authoritarian Cameroon.” Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 87, no. 4 (2023): pp. 935-955 Summary: Authoritarian regimes regularly turn to the law to justify repression. This article examines whether invoking legal institutions has a persuasive effect on public perceptions of repression, and whether that effect …
Kirk A. Randazzo., Douglas M. Gibler., & Rebecca Reid, “Examining the Development of Judicial Independence.” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 69, no. 3 (2016): pp. 583-593. Summary: Scholars who examine judicial independence offer various theories regarding its development. Some argue that it serves as a type of insurance for regimes who believe their majority status is …