Wiley: Law & Policy: Table of Contents

Backlash Against the Courts: The Path Toward Authoritarianism in Mexico

Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 -0700

ABSTRACT

This work seeks to contribute to the literature exploring the role of courts in democratic erosion and autocratization. Accordingly, I explore the dynamics of attacks against the judiciary and how this set into motion the erosion of democracy. My argument is that populists, leaders with autocratic tendencies or “false democrats” want to capture the courts to legally concentrate power on the ruling party. They do so by taking over the judiciary through (a) rhetorical attacks that weaken the already fragile public legitimacy of the courts and (b) legal attacks (institutional reforms) to dismantle judicial independence, technically removing a veto player and triggering democratic erosion. To develop this argument, I use the case of Mexico, a recent example that illuminates how both rhetorical and institutional attacks unfold to subvert judicial independence, capture the judiciary, and erode democracy. I develop this argument using two original databases.

The Conditional Impacts of Organizations and Supervisors on the Tension Between Officers and Citizens

Geiguen Shin, Yong‐Chan Rhee, Charles E. Menifield — Sun, 03 May 2026 21:10:57 -0700

ABSTRACT

Under what organizational conditions are police officers more likely to use lethal force against racial minority suspects in the United States? Using identity and institutional theories, we find that perceived legitimacy is likely to determine how street-level bureaucrats and managers define their identities and influence the disproportionate killings of minorities in the United States. In sum, we show that bureaucrats, either street-level White police officers or their managers, assume different identities, either social or role identity, depending on the organizational contexts, visibility of their actions to the public, and the following perceived legitimacy to the public by utilizing institutional theory. These findings reveal when racial disparities are likely to rise, driven by the interplay among officer and suspect race, leadership dynamics, and the bureaucratic pursuit of legitimacy. We discuss theoretical and practical implications regarding police use of force in state-citizen interactions.

Issue Information

Sun, 03 May 2026 21:00:55 -0700

Law &Policy, Volume 48, Issue 3, July 2026.