Slate Daily Feed Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - The Fast Track To Autocracy
Jan 3, 2026
Kim Lane-Scheppele, a law and sociology scholar from Princeton, sheds light on the rapid shift toward autocracy in the U.S. after recent elections. She explores how democratically elected leaders can undermine democratic norms through legal maneuvers, referencing tactics used in nations like Hungary. The conversation highlights the chilling parallels between current events and global autocratic strategies, emphasizing the role of legalism and the importance of civil society in resisting authoritarianism. Expect insights on maintaining hope and solidarity in challenging times.
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Starve Independent Institutions Of Funding
- Systematic defunding of media, universities, and NGOs eliminates alternative sources of power.
- Scheppele recounts Orbán cutting state advertising and grants, letting allied oligarchs buy compliant outlets.
Democracy Is About Future Elections
- Democracy should be judged by whether future elections remain free and fair, not only the last one.
- Scheppele defines democracy forward-looking: rotation of power matters most.
Autocracy Without Grand Ideology
- Modern autocrats often lack coherent ideology and instead seek to stop rotation of power.
- Scheppele labels this pattern 'autocracy': power that no longer rotates and is unaccountable outside the executive.