A book co-edited by University of Wisconsin Law School Professor Emeritus David Trubek and including chapters written by UW Law Professors Heinz Klug, Kathryn Hendley, Trubek himself and former William H. Hastie Fellow Leigha Crout, explores legal resistance to autocratization. It was published by Routlege in November.
“Legal Resistance to Autocracy: The Global Fight to Save Democracy” explores how citizens, lawyers and institutions push back against the global rise of authoritarianism. Moving beyond studies of autocratic power itself, the book focuses on the less-examined but vital dynamics of resistance — showing that efforts to oppose autocratization, though varied in success, can disrupt and even reverse authoritarian trends.
The volume differentiates itself and fills a gap in the literature in a couple of ways, said Trubek.
“It’s new in two ways: (a) The move toward authoritarianism is relatively new in many countries so this gap was filled for them; and (b) the project permitted contrast and comparison so people can learn from other countries,” he explained.
Drawing on the experiences of scholars from eight countries including Brazil, India, China, Russia, Israel, Hungary, South Africa and the United States, the collection examines both country-specific struggles and cross-cutting themes such as international human rights, sanctions and the political economy of autocratization.
Three factors played into deciding which countries or examples to include, said Trubek, including the “importance of country, strength of move toward authoritarianism and availability of data and collaborators.”
The book’s editors brought together scholars from around the world through a working group called Global Resistance to Autocratic Diffusion (GRAD). GRAD is a general survey of all forms of resistance and is based at Transnational Law Institute at the King’s College London and supported by a consortium of institutions including the FGV Law School in São Paulo and UW Law.
Authors include senior and rising scholars not only with academic interest and experience of the topic but also deep knowledge and intense involvement in the autocratization processes, and resistance, in their own countries.
The volume may be of interest to researchers, academics and policy-makers working in the areas of law, political science and international relations.
Submitted by Law School News on November 18, 2025
This article appears in the categories: Faculty, Features
Related employee profiles: David Trubek, Heinz Klug, Kathryn Hendley
