This article investigates how political lawyers in Russia resist emerging authoritarian practices such as disinformation, surveillance, and state secrecy.
Russia
Van der Vet (2021), “Spies, Lies, Trials, and Trolls: Political Lawyering Against Disinformation and State Surveillance in Russia”
This article investigates how political lawyers in Russia navigate and resist authoritarian tactics such as disinformation campaigns, government surveillance, and secrecy.
McCarthy (2025), “Oversight of the Legal System in an Authoritarian Regime: Police and Court Monitoring in Russia.”
Lauren A. McCarthy, “Oversight of the Legal System in an Authoritarian Regime: Police and Court Monitoring in Russia.” Journal of Law and Courts, vol. 13, no. 1 (2025): 195-219. Summary: How can citizens in authoritarian …
Givens (2011), “Advocates Of Change In Authoritarian Regimes: How Chinese Lawyers And Chinese And Russian Journalists Stay Out Of Trouble”
In backsliding democracies, this research shows that lawyers remain key actors in the struggle for political change.
McCarthy and Mustafina (2024), “A Measure of Justice: Citizen Legal Advocates, Lay Lawyering, and Access to Justice in Russia”
This article explores how access to justice can be expanded in an authoritarian setting like Russia through the use of citizen legal advocates (CLAs)—ordinary citizens without formal legal education who represent defendants in criminal and administrative cases.
Mustafina (2022), “Turning on the Lights? Publicity and Defensive Legal Mobilization in Protest‐Related Trials in Russia”
This article examines how defense lawyers in contemporary Russia strategically use publicity in trials involving protesters, despite the broader context of a politicized and often predetermined legal system.
Wang (2020), “The More Authoritarian, the More Judicial Independence? The Paradox of Court Reforms in China and Russia.”
Yueduan Wang, “The More Authoritarian, the More Judicial Independence? The Paradox of Court Reforms in China and Russia.” University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, Vol. 22, no. 2 (2020): 529-560. Summary: Drawing conclusions largely …
Trochev, Solomon (2018), “Authoritarian constitutionalism in Putin’s Russia: A pragmatic constitutional court in a dual state”
Alexei Trochev & Peter Solomon, “Authoritarian constitutionalism in Putin’s Russia: A pragmatic constitutional court in a dual state.” Communist and Post-Communist Studies, vol 51, no 3 (2018): 201-214. Summary: This article analyzes the successful adaptation of …
Khalikova and Kazun (2021), “Should I Stay, or Should I Go? Self-Legitimacy of Attorneys in an Authoritarian State”
This study investigates the professional challenges faced by lawyers in authoritarian regimes.
Solomon (2008),“Judicial Power in Authoritarian States: The Russian Experience.”
Peter H Solomon. “Judicial Power in Authoritarian States: The Russian Experience,” Chapter. In Rule by Law: The Politics of Courts in Authoritarian Regimes. Edited by Tom Ginsburg and Tamir Moustafa, 261–82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, …