This article examines the evolving stance of Chinese administrations towards judicial autonomy and legal activism over the past two decades.
Politics Within the Legal Profession
Pei (2010), “Rights and Resistance: The Changing Contexts of the Dissident Movement”
This chapter explores how rapid economic growth and legal reforms in China have reshaped the dissident movement by creating new political and legal spaces for rights assertion.
Borsuk, Dinç, Kavak, and Sayan (2021), “Consolidating and Contesting Authoritarian Neoliberalism in Turkey: Towards a Framework”
This chapter examines Turkey’s transformation from a hopeful democratic state to a key example of democratic backsliding under the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Berenson (2000), “Public Lawyers, Private Values: Can, Should, and Will Government Lawyers Serve the Public Interest?”
This article defends the notion that government lawyers have heightened responsibilities to serve the public interest, especially within the unique context of government litigation.
Ryo and Peacock (2021), “Represented but Unequal: The Contingent Effect of Legal Representation in Removal Proceedings”
This study investigates how the effectiveness of legal representation in immigration removal proceedings in the United States varies based on judicial and political context.
Billig (1985), “The Lawyer Terrorist and His Comrades”
This article explores the transformation of Horst Mahler, a young German lawyer, into a founding member of the Red Army Faction—a far-left terrorist group active in West Germany during the 1970s.
O’Brien (2023), “Neither Withdrawal Nor Resistance: Adapting to Increased Repression in China”
In the face of growing repression in China, some lawyers, along with pastors and NGOs, are navigating authoritarian constraints not through resistance but through strategic accommodation.
Roiphe (2019), “A Typology of Justice Department Lawyers’ Roles and Responsibilities”
This article examines the evolving role of U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers under the Trump administration, amid increasing concerns over democratic backsliding.
Sampford (2003), “Get New Lawyers!”
This article explores the ethical dilemmas faced by legal advisors and political actors in high-stakes international conflicts, using the Kosovo war as a case study.
Pavone (2020), “Lawyers, Judges, And The Obstinate State: The French Case And An Agenda For Comparative Politics”
This article revisits the classic thesis of France as an “obstinate state,” known for the resilience of its centralized authority, by showing how lawyers and judges have quietly shaped political development in ways that challenge this narrative.