Project MUSE®: Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies - Latest Articles
https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236
Project MUSE®: Latest articles in Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies.daily12026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00text/htmlen-USVol. 10 (2003) through current issueLatest Articles: Indiana Journal of Global Legal StudiesTWOProject MUSE®Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies1543-03671080-0727Latest articles in Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies. Feed provided by Project MUSE®A Reform Revolution: The Legal Profession Under Authoritarian Closure
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985120
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The rule of law is once more threatened by a rising tide of authoritarianism, characterized by populist political movements and systemic attempts to undermine its core values. Legal mobilization—the strategic use of legal institutions, discourse, and mechanisms to challenge power structures and advance legal and political change—has emerged as a critical response. This process may be initiated by lawyers, but also extends beyond traditional legal practice, encompassing social movements, strategic litigation, and collective efforts to leverage legal tools for institutional transformation.The efficacy of legal mobilization varies dramatically across political systems. In liberal democracies, actors can strategically
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallA Reform Revolution: The Legal Profession Under Authoritarian Closure2026-03-16text/htmlen-USA Reform Revolution: The Legal Profession Under Authoritarian Closure2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®964792026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16Agents for and Against Change: The Dual Role of Chinese Defense Lawyers in Judicial Reform
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985121
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Can lawyers act as agents of change in authoritarian regimes? In liberal democracies, the transformative role of lawyers is widely accepted, with debates focusing on the direction of reform or the interests they represent.1 However, in authoritarian systems, where political repression and institutional constraints dominate, the capacity of lawyers to drive change is often dismissed or viewed as marginal.2 Most discussions on the agency of legal professionals are rooted in democratic frameworks, leaving the dynamics of legal activism in authoritarian regimes underexplored.China, often criticized as an authoritarian state,3 provides a compelling case study. Most skeptics argue that Chinese lawyers operate within such
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallAgents for and Against Change: The Dual Role of Chinese Defense Lawyers in Judicial Reform2026-03-16text/htmlen-USAgents for and Against Change: The Dual Role of Chinese Defense Lawyers in Judicial Reform2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®3110722026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16Rule by Law in Democratic Regimes: How Legal Actors Undermined Democracy in Brazil
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985122
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On April 7, 2018, international media outlets covered when Brazil's current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—commonly known as Lula—was sent to jail.1 Judge Sérgio Moro ruled that Lula was convicted of corruption and money laundering on July 12, 2017.2 Lula's lawyers appealed.3 However, the Brazilian Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Judge Moro's decision.4The trial happened while Lula was leading the polls in the Brazilian 2018 presidential election.5 Lula's conviction and incarceration marked the culmination of Operation Car Wash, the anti-corruption police investigation that resulted in a criminal lawsuit coordinated by lead prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol. Mr. Dallagnol documented such events in his book
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallRule by Law in Democratic Regimes: How Legal Actors Undermined Democracy in Brazil2026-03-16text/htmlen-USRule by Law in Democratic Regimes: How Legal Actors Undermined Democracy in Brazil2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®2630402026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16Resistance to Jair Bolsonaro's Authoritarian Project: A Portrait of Litigation in the STF
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985123
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The election of an extreme-right populist to the presidency in 2018 submitted Brazilian constitutional institutions to a rigorous test of resilience. As several elected populist leaders of his generation, Jair Bolsonaro promoted a visceral process of political polarization, attacked fundamental rights of vulnerable minorities and employed legal means and executive prerogatives to neutralize progressive policies causing erode to basic structures of the Brazilian constitutional democracy.1 Bolsonaro also incited the military against constitutional institutions, especially against the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF).During his term, a broad coalition of resistance took shape: political parties, social movements, civil
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallResistance to Jair Bolsonaro's Authoritarian Project: A Portrait of Litigation in the STF2026-03-16text/htmlen-USResistance to Jair Bolsonaro's Authoritarian Project: A Portrait of Litigation in the STF2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®927142026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16Lawyers Without an Association: The Legal Professionals Challenging Autocratic Legalism in Egypt
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985124
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On July 3, 2013, Egyptian Minister of Defense, 'Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, invited a small number of national elites to witness and lend legitimacy to the removal of an elected president, the suspension of the constitution, and the beginning of a new transition led by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF). This event was eerily like its predecessor in 1952, the military coup that ended the Egyptian Monarchy and counted on Egyptian legal professionals for its legitimacy. While the lawyers were central in the first July pact of 1952, they were noticeably missing in the 2013 episode. Judges, on the other hand, were part and parcel of the new July pact. Not only did Justice Hamid 'Abd Allah, President of the High
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallLawyers Without an Association: The Legal Professionals Challenging Autocratic Legalism in Egypt2026-03-16text/htmlen-USLawyers Without an Association: The Legal Professionals Challenging Autocratic Legalism in Egypt2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®964602026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16Human Rights Lawyers Navigating Authoritarian Legalism in Iran
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985125
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Following the controversial death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini on September 16, 2022, a twenty-two year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested by the Morality Police1 for not wearing her hijab properly, an unprecedented wave of protests erupted in Iran, led largely by Generation Z. Consistent with its prior responses, the regime reacted with severe crackdowns, resulting in the arrest of over 22,000 protesters within three months.2 To protect the rights of detained protesters, human rights lawyers in key cities—especially those that experienced intense protests and violent crackdowns—mobilized to represent the extraordinary number of detainees and defend their rights during sham trials. This mobilization took place despite the
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallHuman Rights Lawyers Navigating Authoritarian Legalism in Iran2026-03-16text/htmlen-USHuman Rights Lawyers Navigating Authoritarian Legalism in Iran2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®1865412026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16United We Stand, Divided We Fall: Reflecting on the Fragmentation of Russia's Legal Profession(s)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985126
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Lawyers have emerged as resistors in many present-day authoritarian and authoritarian-leaning countries.1 Their training provides them with the tools to push back against repressive laws, whether in the legislature, the courts, or by taking to the streets. Their efforts have met with mixed success. Yet in some authoritarian countries, activist lawyers are not commonplace.2 The reasons are many and are typically highly contextual. The organizational structure of the profession is likely to be a factor that cuts across geographic boundaries. Unified bars are inherently more capable of spurring their members to collective action than are fragmented bars. As a starting point in understanding the impact of structure on
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallUnited We Stand, Divided We Fall: Reflecting on the Fragmentation of Russia's Legal Profession(s)2026-03-16text/htmlen-USUnited We Stand, Divided We Fall: Reflecting on the Fragmentation of Russia's Legal Profession(s)2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®1802572026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16Provincial Lawyering in Russia: Professional Rights and Limitations in Criminal Defense
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/985127
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Both international and national media portray the Russian legal profession through the leaders and well-known lawyers from major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, rarely acknowledging those from smaller regions. The experiences of legal professionals in smaller towns and rural areas have been largely outside of the focus of mainstream social sciences. Provincial lawyers encounter more inequality and fewer professional prospects than their counterparts in major cities. This paper presents the first sociological study of the legal profession in Russia's provinces, focusing on their reporting on professional rights violations. It complements previous research that primarily examined the Bar's central figures or
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/236/image/coversmallProvincial Lawyering in Russia: Professional Rights and Limitations in Criminal Defense2026-03-16text/htmlen-USProvincial Lawyering in Russia: Professional Rights and Limitations in Criminal Defense2026-03-162026TWOProject MUSE®1678042026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-03-16