Einstein-Research Project: Judicial Autonomy under Authoritarian Attack: Patterns of Possible Strategies of Resilience

The research project analyzes the legal and political reforms of European judicial systems over the last 20 years. It aims to document populist-authoritarian attacks on judicial independence and to identify possible patterns. Can we identify certain “toxic” institutional and political constellations that are particularly susceptible to the weakening of an independent judiciary? At the same time, the question is how existing dysfunctions can be remedied in order to strengthen the resilience of democratic institutions and the rule of law. The comparative analysis is intended to provide a better understanding of the “signs of democratic decline” in Europe and the development of effective counter-strategies. The research will be conducted with a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. Furthermore cross-case data studies on the institutional structure of the judicial systems in 47 member states of the Council of Europe are collected and comparatively evaluated.