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Lawyers and Democratic Decline
Studying the roles of lawyers in the decline of democracy.
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Lawyers Facilitating Democratic Decline

Court Watchers Warn Supreme Court Is Enabling Executive Overreach Under Trump

Posted on December 24, 2025

In a critical assessment of the U.S. Supreme Court’s role in 2025, court watchers argue that the justices — particularly Chief Justice John Roberts — have largely enabled President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda, weakening the …

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Congressional Letter on DOJ Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

Posted on December 19, 2025

In December 2025, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress sent a formal letter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche raising serious concerns about potential conflicts of interest and ethical …

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Poland’s Supreme Court Rejects EU Authority Over Justice System

Posted on December 3, 2025

Poland’s rule-of-law crisis escalated after a group of Supreme Court judges—appointed during the former Law and Justice (PiS) government’s controversial judicial overhaul—issued a resolution rejecting the European Union’s right to regulate Poland’s justice system. They …

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Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal Blocks Judicial Reform Bill

Posted on November 20, 2025

Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal (TK) has struck down a government bill aimed at overhauling the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), a central institution in Poland’s years-long rule-of-law crisis. The decision—expected due to the TK’s continued …

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What If the Big Law Firms Hadn’t Caved to Trump?

Posted on October 25, 2025

This New Yorker article examines how major U.S. law firms responded to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the broader implications for the legal profession. It argues that many elite firms, once …

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The Hand That Rocks The Gavel

Posted on September 19, 2025

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 …

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Trump’s $940 Million Law Firm Deals Face Uncertainty

Posted on August 15, 2025

Nearly five months after nine major U.S. law firms struck deals with former President Donald Trump—pledging a collective $940 million in free legal services—the impact remains unclear. Some firms continue to take cases opposing Trump’s …

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Ugandan opposition seeks to nullify law on military prosecution of civilians

Posted on August 15, 2025

Ugandan opposition seeks to nullify law on military prosecution of civilians – The National Unity Platform (NUP), Uganda’s main opposition party, filed a constitutional court case to strike down a new law allowing military tribunals …

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Twelve Hong Kong activists appeal convictions in landmark ’47 democrats’ case

Posted on July 14, 2025

Twelve pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have appealed their convictions and prison sentences in the landmark “47 democrats” case, which has become a global symbol of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent under the National Security Law. …

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Trump Judicial Nominee Accused of Urging Defiance of Court Orders

Posted on June 24, 2025

A whistleblower complaint made public this week accuses Emil Bove, President Trump’s nominee to the federal appeals court, of suggesting the Justice Department should ignore court orders blocking the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. Former DOJ …

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