Judiciary and Democracy. Unravelling present challenges, activating future potentials

Independent judiciaries are under constant attack from authoritarian actors targeting the foundations of liberal democracy. The proposed project “Judiciary and Democracy – Unravelling Present Challenges, Activating Future Potentials” (JuDem) analyzes the mechanisms through which these assaults unfold and proposes innovative reforms focusing on the role the judiciary can play in bolstering the capacity of democratic societies in responding to global challenges. Rather than merely reinstating democracies to their former state, the emphasis is on reformation guided by a vision of what democracies should be. So far, the necessarily non-majoritarian, non-representative, and non-participatory judiciary has been mostly overlooked in discussions on democratic innovation, which predominantly focus on novel mechanisms of citizen participation. In order to close this gap, a Living Research Lab will be created, producing transformative knowledge by connecting legal scholars, social scientists and legal professionals. The innovative and experimental format of this collaboration is enhanced by the inclusion of partners from different geographical backgrounds, disposing of diverse experiences with de-democratization processes. JuDem thus fosters a parallel process of initiating conceptual innovation and proposing practical solutions, emphasizing a continued process of self-evaluation and adjustment of its research goals.