Dissensus over Liberal Democracy

Insights from European Judges

Ramona Coman, Viktor Kazai, Leonardo Puleo, Andrew Bradley

• Publisher: Hart Publishing
• Year: 2025
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781509985012
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Law Theory & Practice
• Index: Law

This book explores what judges do and how they perceive their roles in the context of growing dissensus over liberal democracy.

Focusing on the European landscape, it asks eighteen judges how they perceive their roles when judicial independence and democracy are under pressure. The book features interviews with judges from various EU and non-EU Member States and courts, complemented by a series of academic commentaries discussing the relationship between law and politics in times of dissensus over liberal democracy. Each narrative reveals unique personal experiences and reflections, shedding light on the role of the judiciary and the rule of law in the face of contemporary challenges. While the book engages with these issues through European narratives, its findings contribute to broader debates beyond Europe and the EU.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Table of Contents
• About the Co-editors
• List of Contributors
• About the Contributors
• List of Abbreviations
• 1. How do Judges Conceive their Roles in a Context of Growing Dissensus over Liberal Democracy – And why do Narratives Matter?
• 2. Illiberalism on Trial: Ideational Boundaries, Institutional Practices, and Public Diffusion
• 3. The Essence of Judicial Independence: The Autonomous Interpretation of the Law
• PART I: INSIGHTS FROM WESTERN AND NORTHERN EUROPEAN JUDGES
• PART II: INSIGHTS FROM SOUTHERN EUROPEAN JUDGES
• PART III: INSIGHTS FROM CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN JUDGES
• PART IV: INSIGHTS FROM NEIGHBOURING EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
• PART V: ACADEMIC DEBATES
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright Page