The article examines how personal motives and structural factors shaped lawyers’ involvement in the “Stop the Steal” campaign, revealing broader patterns of polarization and democratic erosion within the legal profession.
Politics Within the Legal Profession
McEvoy (2019), “Cause Lawyers, Political Violence, and Professionalism in Conflict”
The article examines how cause lawyers in authoritarian and conflict-affected societies balance legal professionalism with political commitment, using interviews and the concept of “legitimation work” to reveal evolving roles shaped by violence and transition.
Kazun and Yakovlev (2019), “Legal Mobilization in Russia: How Organizations of Lawyers Can Support Social Changes”
The article argues that in Russia, collective action by criminal defense lawyers can drive social change during periods of crisis, but its effectiveness depends on the institutional strength of legal organizations and the stance of their professional elites.
Pavone (2024), “Lawyering in Hard Places: Comparative Dispatches from the Margins of Legality”
The article argues that in authoritarian and transitional contexts, cause lawyers often defy traditional roles by challenging state-aligned bar associations, supporting contentious movements, and using unconventional tactics to confront judicial and political oppression.
Munger (2015), “Thailand’s Cause Lawyers and Twenty-First Century Military Coups: Nation, Identity, and Conflicting Visions of the Rule of Law”
The essay argues that Thai cause lawyers’ conflicting views on recent coups reveal how the rule of law is shaped by national identity, personal experience, and ties to social movements, rather than a universal legal standard.
Fu and Cullen (2008), “Weiquan (Rights Protection) Lawyering in an Authoritarian State: Building a Culture of Public‐Interest Lawyering”
China’s legal profession has rapidly privatized, leading to greater lawyer organization and social advocacy within the one-party state, despite ongoing government control.
Cheesman and Min (2013), “Not Just Defending; Advocating for Law in Myanmar”
Cause lawyers in Myanmar use legal formality to promote justice and public accountability, challenging state power, but persistent impunity undermines trust in the law’s effectiveness.
Surrency (1964), “The Lawyer and the Revolution”
The article explores how lawyers, though typically guardians of the legal order, played a pivotal and often paradoxical role in revolutionary movements by balancing their professional duties with commitments to political change.
Oko (2000), “Consolidating Democracy on a Troubled Continent: A Challenge for Lawyers in Africa”
The article argues that lawyers are essential to Africa’s democratic transitions, but must overcome past associations with authoritarian regimes to regain public trust and fulfill their reformative potential.
Batesmith and Stevens (2018), “In the Absence of the Rule of Law: Everyday Lawyering, Dignity and Resistance in Myanmar’s ‘Disciplined Democracy'”
In Myanmar’s authoritarian legal system, everyday lawyers resist state power by preserving client dignity, offering subtle defiance where rule of law is absent.