Autocratic Legalism Kim Lane Scheppele Upd Jun 2026

April 12, 2026

They use that mandate to rewrite laws and constitutions to eliminate future competition. autocratic legalism kim lane scheppele upd

is a governance strategy where democratically elected leaders use their electoral mandates to systematically dismantle constitutional checks and balances through legal and constitutional means. First popularized in political science by Javier Corrales and famously expanded upon by Princeton sociologist and legal scholar Kim Lane Scheppele in her seminal 2018 essay in The University of Chicago Law Review , this concept explains how modern democracies erode from within. Rather than deploying military tanks or staging violent coups, contemporary autocrats deploy teams of lawyers, piece-by-piece legislation, and constitutional reforms to lock themselves into power permanently. April 12, 2026 They use that mandate to

Scheppele’s research outlines a specific toolkit used by autocratic legalists to consolidate power. The goal is rarely to abolish democracy entirely, but to create a "zombie democracy"—an empty shell where elections happen, but the incumbent can never lose. Rather than deploying military tanks or staging violent

Kim Lane Scheppele’s theory of autocratic legalism is more than an academic concept; it is a vital diagnostic tool for our era. By understanding the autocrat's strategy—winning elections, then systematically exploiting the law to entrench power and crush dissent—we can better identify the threat. The struggle to defend democracy is no longer just about stopping coups or violence; it is a complex legal and political battle to ensure that the "monster" of autocracy is never assembled from the ordinary materials of democratic law.

: Fail to prosecute or even encourage private violence against government critics. Change Election Rules