Constitutional scholar reflects upon rising political pressure on courts

Dieter Grimm LL.M. ’65, a former justice of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, returned to Harvard Law School on September 18 to speak on “Courts under Political Pressure.” Grimm, a noted scholar, academic and public intellectual, was introduced by Professor William Alford, Vice Dean for the Graduate Program and International Legal Studies. “Toward the end of the 20th century, it looked as if constitutionalism had established itself definitely around the world,” Grimm observed. “Many countries that had freed themselves from dictatorships, from authoritarian regimes, racist regimes, military regimes, transformed themselves into liberal democracies. New constitutions were adopted, old constitutions were thoroughly rewritten, and the willingness to take constitutions seriously had grown, and almost all of these new democracies established constitutional courts, or supreme courts with the power of judicial review. Now, 25 years later, the constitutional world looks much different. A number of the constitutions that were established at that time have taken an illiberal turn or are openly disregarded.”
Read the full article here: Harvard Law Today