Constitutional Courts and Populism

How to react to the rise of populism seems to be the question of the moment – and it is not a question public lawyers or judges can comfortably ignore. Yet, too often our understanding remains mired in particular domestic perspectives and our only reference point is National Socialism. Unsurprisingly then, the public expectation is generally that lawyers and judges must stand in fiercely for human rights and democracy and that’s it. Yet, what does that mean exactly and are things really that simple? These are some the questions our symposium on Courts and Populism seeks to address, drawing on comparative examples from a wide range of countries and a range of disciplinary perspectives.