http://dx.doi.org/10.17176/20190211-224648-0 https://verfassungsblog.de/no-case-for-legal-interventionism-defending-democracy-through-protecting-pluralism-and-parliamentarism/ No Case for Legal Interventionism: Defending Democracy Through Protecting Pluralism and Parliamentarism von Achenbach, Jelena eng 2018-12-12 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Being a democrat means accepting that the law is not a very durable sword against authoritarianism. Democratic law bends and submits to the majority. When push comes to shove, it lacks the capacity to defy anti-democratic, authoritarian majorities. Of course, this does not mean that legal mechanisms and instruments are meaningless in this context. They can work against and impede the rise of anti-pluralist, illiberal and anti-democratic political movements. But it is important to acknowledge that legal interventions and prohibitive measures that target anti-liberal, anti-democratic political platforms also pose risks. They may undermine what they are supposed to protect: a free and egalitarian political process that is based on open political competition, pluralism and a free public discourse.