Deference and Divergence in Regional Human Rights Courts

Maria A. Sanchez examines why three regional human rights courts with similar mandates—the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights, and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights—develop divergent approaches to authority and enforcement.

Drawing on geopolitical context at each court's founding and detailed case analyses across freedom of expression, personal integrity, and LGBTQ+ rights, she shows how institutional origins shape judicial deference or intervention.

Sanchez highlights a paradox: courts founded under the most hostile human rights conditions often assert the most expansive authority.

The book explores when and how international courts leverage power to intervene in domestic affairs and the implications for transitional justice and regional human rights protection.

It offers comparative insights useful for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers interested in the limits and possibilities of regional judicial enforcement.