Wisconsin International Law Journal
WILJ banner

Conferences & Symposia

2024 Symposium

Wisconsin International Law Journal presents:

Challenges Posed to Judges and Lawyers by Creeping Authoritarianism

Location To Be Announced

Date: February 12 & 13, 2026

Registration information to come.

Overview

The erosion of the underpinnings of democratic institutions and ideals is an inescapable worldwide trend. The front pages of U.S. newspapers and law-related websites have been inundated with stories about how lawyers and law firms are coping with efforts by the new administration to bring the legal profession to heel. Sadly, the U.S. has joined a host of other countries where lawyers have long been subject to prosecution and persecution by governmental leaders. Some of these countries are full-fledged authoritarian systems, such as Russia, China, and Iran. Other countries are arguably moving away from democracy towards authoritarianism. These are often referred to as backsliding democracies. Within this category would be the U.S., Brazil, Israel, and others. Yet other countries, such as Poland, are moving away from authoritarianism towards democracy.

The symposium brings together leading scholars who are studying this critical question of the roles being played by lawyers and judges in the U.S. and other countries that have struggled with preserving democracy. The goal is to map experiences and unpack the reasons behind lawyers’ behavior and attitudes.

The symposium will include panels on:

  • Judges’ responses to backsliding in Ukraine (Agnieszka Kubal, Oxford University), China (Qin Ma, Max Planck Institute), Egypt (Heba Khalil, Nebraska Weslyan University), and the US (Richard Abel, UCLA School of Law)
  • The responses of key players in the criminal justice system in Brazil (Maria Fatima Santos, UW-Madison), Russia (Renata Mustafina, Columbia University), and the US (Whitney Taylor and Josh Davis, San Francisco State University)
  • The responses of private lawyers in Brazil (Oscar Vihena Viera, FGV), Hungary (Eszter Kirs, Corvinus University), and the US (Ann Southworth, UC-Irvine)
  • The responses of activist lawyers in Brazil (Vitor Martins Dias, Butler University), and the US (Chris Levesque, Kenyon College).

Past Symposia

More information on all Symposia can be found on the University of Wisconsin Law Library’s Digital Repository’s WILJ Symposiums.

2020-Present

2010-2019

  • link to PDF 2019 WILJ Symposium Program: Lawyers and Lawyering in China and Russia: Common Challenges
  • link to PDF 2018 WILJ Symposium Program: Sustainable Development Goals and International Law: Intersections of Environmental Law, Human Rights, and Environmental Justice
  • link to PDF 2017 WILJ Symposium Program: Regional Human Rights Systems in Crisis
  • 2016 WILJ Symposium: Stamping Privacy’s Passport: The Role of International Law in Safeguarding Individual Privacy
  • 2015 WILJ Symposium: International Law Walks the Line: Border Disputes and Resolution for the 21st Century
  • 2014 WILJ Symposium: Creation of International Law: Exploring the International Law Components of Peace
  • 2013 WILJ Symposium: A Comparative Perspective on Social Justice Lawyering in Asia: Conditions, Practices and Possibilities
  • link to PDF 2012 WILJ Symposium Poster: Renewable Energy & Climate Change: Opportunities & Challenges
  • 2010 WILJ Symposium: Personal Reminiscences of David Trubek

1999-2009