The article argues that current fears of democratic decline arise from unrealistic expectations rooted in Cold War-era progress narratives that presumed inevitable democratic consolidation.
Evidence of Lawyers’ Resistance
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.
Khan (2023), “The Lawyers’ Movement in Pakistan: How Legal Actors Mobilise in a Hybrid Regime”
The article argues that in Pakistan’s hybrid regime, lawyer-leaders and political parties, rather than courts alone, played a crucial role in judicial restoration, challenging traditional legal mobilization theories based on political liberalism.
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.
Roznai (2013), “Revolutionary Lawyering? On Lawyers’ Social Responsibilities and Roles during a Democratic Revolution”
The article examines the dual and often conflicting roles of lawyers during revolutions, balancing their duty to uphold legal order with their responsibility to support revolutionary change and help shape new legal systems.
Munir (2009), “Struggling for the Rule of Law: The Pakistani Lawyers’ Movement”
The 2007 Lawyers’ Movement in Pakistan marked a pivotal push for rule of law and democratic reform, as lawyers mobilized against authoritarian overreach and succeeded in restoring judicial independence.
Parslow (2018), “Lawyers against the Law: The Challenge of Turkish Lawyering Associations
Despite increasing authoritarian control over the judiciary, Turkish activist lawyers such as the Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği strategically engage with the legal system as a form of grassroots resistance that challenges and redefines state-imposed legal boundaries.
Gobe and Salaymeh (2016), “Tunisia’s “Revolutionary” Lawyers: From Professional Autonomy to Political Mobilization”
Tunisian lawyers played a key role in the 2011 uprising and its aftermath, using political lawyering to gain symbolic influence and act as watchdogs over the new government.
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.
Shafqat (2019), “Civil Society and the Lawyers’ Movement of Pakistan”
This article analyzes how lawyers drove Pakistan’s 2007–2009 judicial movement, but civil society’s framing made its democratic impact possible.