Rule of Law Impact Lab
Our Mission
The Stanford Law School Rule of Law Impact Lab studies and deploys legal tools–litigation and legal research, documentation, and advocacy–in close collaboration with local practitioners and academics to combat democratic decline around the world, including in the U.S.
Confronting a Global Challenge
Recent years have witnessed a stark rise in authoritarianism around the world, eroding decades’ worth of post-Cold War democratic advances. In the absence of effective countervailing forces, the associated evisceration of the rule of law will only deepen and spread over time. The sheer scale of the problem–as well as significant collaboration amongst autocrats around the world to sustain their repressive agendas—illustrates the significant need for global leadership to address democratic backslide.
Our Focus
- Developing and deploying legal strategies (litigation and legal research, documentation, and advocacy) in collaboration with local legal practitioners and academics to combat democratic decline.
- Engaging students in experiential learning on using legal tools to combat democratic decline.
- Disseminating and sharing knowledge on the subject of how best to combat democratic decline in varying contexts.
Issues
Democracy is in decline around the world. Governments elected to power with populist agendas are increasingly adopting authoritarian tactics. There are striking similarities in the methods deployed to subvert democracy. These methods typically include compromising electoral integrity, undermining judicial independence, and quashing free expression and dissent. The Stanford Law School Rule of Law Impact Lab studies and uses legal tools to counter core threats to democracy and to promote democratic renewal worldwide.
