New Books Network Maria A. Sanchez, "Deference and Divergence in Regional Human Rights Courts" (Cornell UP, 2026)
Mar 20, 2026
Maria A. Sanchez, assistant professor of political science and author studying international law and regional human rights institutions. She explores why similar courts diverge in authority and how founding politics shape their reach. Short takes dive into freedom of expression, personal integrity, and LGBTQ+ rights across European, Inter‑American, and African courts. Conversation also flags institutional change and contemporary threats.
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Founding Moments Shape Court Authority
- Regional human rights courts arise from critical political inflection points that shape their missions and authority.
- Maria A. Sanchez shows courts formed amid wars or integration projects (Europe, Latin America, Africa) inherit distinct enforcement logics tied to founding contexts.
Intercourt Learning Drives Jurisprudence Convergence
- Regional courts learn from one another through formal and informal exchanges, influencing jurisprudence across continents.
- Sanchez documents staff exchanges, annual meetings, and judges citing other courts, with Inter‑American and African courts initially leaning on European jurisprudence for speech cases.
Inter‑American Court Used Early Advisory Opinions
- The Inter‑American Court used advisory jurisdiction early to target Guatemala's extrajudicial executions.
- Judges issued advisory opinions and expansive temporal readings to pressure reforms when governments were failing to stop systemic abuses.
