International scholars gather at Leeds to examine authoritarianism, populism and the rule of law
On 7 July, the School of Law welcomed a group of UK and international scholars for the workshop “Authoritarianism and the Rule of Law: A UK Perspective” hosted by the Legal Professions Research Group.
Bringing together leading academics, practitioners and researchers from across the UK, Europe, North America and Asia, the event explored some of the most pressing legal and political questions of our time: the rise of authoritarian politics, challenges to democratic accountability, attacks on legal institutions, and the changing role of lawyers under pressure.
In her opening remarks, Professor Hilary Sommerlad emphasised that the workshop sought to examine the connections between populist, anti-democratic politics, challenges to the accountability functions of the rule of law, and increasing attacks on liberal institutions, including courts, universities, human rights organisations and the legal profession itself. She situated these developments within wider processes of economic insecurity, growing social inequality, political fragmentation and post-imperial nostalgia. The workshop was designed to provide an interdisciplinary forum in which legal scholars, political scientists and socio-legal researchers could investigate how the rise in ethno-nationalist populism and associated authoritarian tendencies are reshaping democratic societies and legal systems in the UK and beyond.
Internationally recognised speakers
The event featured a host of internationally recognised speakers. Providing the initial context in the keynote speech, Professor Stuart McAnulla (University of Leeds School of Politics and International Relations) examined the relationship between culture wars, populism and democratic decline in Britain, while Professor Kieran McEvoy (Queen's University Belfast) analysed truth recovery, denialism and legal resistance in Northern Ireland. Dr Agnieszka Kubal (University of Oxford) presented innovative research on how individuals experience the European Court of Human Rights. The concluding session featured two of the world's most influential socio-legal scholars, Professor Scott Cummings and Professor Richard Abel (both of the University of California, Los Angeles), who reflected on democratic backsliding, professional capture and the defence of the rule of law, and the impact of the Trump administration in the United States.
The programme was further enriched by contributions from Dr Valeria Ruiz Pérez (University of Nottingham) who explored the emergence of authoritarian features within liberal criminal law, Dr Jo Wilding (University of Sussex) on justice chauvinism and asylum appeals, and Dr Ayesha Riaz (University of Greenwich) on legal aid and asylum representation, while an innovative work-in-progress presentation from Dr Mayur Suresh (SOAS) provided international comparative perspectives on law, legal institutions and contemporary authoritarian developments from his fieldwork in India.
School of Law contributions
Alongside these internationally distinguished contributions, the workshop underlined the depth and quality of research being undertaken within the School of Law at Leeds and the Legal Professions Research Group itself. Leeds scholars played a prominent role throughout the programme. Dr James Greenwood-Reeves examined the implications of the proscription of Palestine Action for protest rights and democratic legitimacy; Dr Rebecca Moosavian analysed how Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) undermine democratic scrutiny and public accountability; Professor Hilary Sommerlad sought to contextualise the pressures facing human rights lawyers by reflecting on the historical processes that had progressively fractured the meaning of citizenship and undermined the rule of law in Britain; Alex Batesmith, presenting jointly with Professor McEvoy, developed a novel theoretical framework that reimagined cause lawyers as “epistemic actors” responsible for defending truth and evidence in post-truth political environments; and Leigh Rice, a doctoral researcher in the School of Law, presented original work on the response of major international law firms to contemporary attacks on diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives, raising important questions about professional ethics, legitimacy and democratic values.
A common theme
Across four substantive sessions, participants explored subjects including protest rights, criminal law, immigration and asylum, human rights litigation, legal aid, democratic backsliding, transitional justice and professional ethics. A common theme emerged throughout the day: lawyers and legal institutions remain central sites of contestation in contemporary struggles over democracy, citizenship, truth and accountability. The discussions repeatedly returned to questions concerning the resilience of democratic institutions, the protection of professional independence, and the role of law in resisting right wing populism and the development of ‘autocratic legalism’.
The workshop concluded with a lively discussion on democratic renewal, accountability and legal resistance, drawing together themes from all four panels. Participants also discussed plans for future collaboration, including the possibility of developing the presented papers into a special issue of a leading academic journal or an edited collection.
Professor Hilary Sommerlad, Co-Director of the Legal Professions Research Group said:
The workshop illuminated both the severity and complexity of the pressures that liberal democratic institutions are facing across the world, and, correspondingly, the vital importance of engaging in international dialogue on this issue.
Alex Batesmith, Co-Director of the Legal Professions Research Group said:
This workshop demonstrates not only the School of Law's ability to convene world-leading scholars but also the vitality of its own research community. By bringing together international experts as well as established and emerging Leeds researchers, we have highlighted the growing reputation of the Legal Professions Research Group as a centre for innovative socio-legal scholarship on law, democracy, professionalism and the rule of law in an era of profound political and constitutional change.
Learn more about the Legal Professions Research Group on their website.
