Courts and the Rule of Law
This research stream assesses how the rule of law and judicial independence can be enhanced or reclaimed in the face of democratic and constitutional erosion.
About the Stream
The principle of judicial independence acts as a critical check on arbitrary government and authoritarianism. The rule of law is a core aspect of constitutionalism that operates similarly. Scholars at the GCDC and the Faculty of Laws have a long track-record of important work in these areas, and continuing research will focus on strengthening the rule of law and assessing how judicial independence and judicial legitimacy can be enhanced or reclaimed in the face of democratic and constitutional erosion.
People
- Professor Richard Bellamy
- Professor Erin Delaney
- Professor Myriam Hunter-Henin
- Professor Jeff King
- Professor Ronan McCrea
- Dr Luis Soto Tamayo
Projects
Events Related to this Stream
This event was co-organised with the UCL European Institute.
Date: 12 March 2026
See the event listing here.
Read a summary of the event on our Latest News page.
Date: 28 January 2026
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Date: 13 October 2025
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Watch the event on the UCL YouTube channel.
Date: 20 June 2025
See the call for proposals here.
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Date: 2 June 2025
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Date: 10 March 2025
Read a summary of the event here.
Recent Publications
- Erin Delaney (ed), Elgar Companion to Female Chief Justices in Comparative Perspective (Edward Elgar Publishing 2026) (with Rosalind Dixon)
- Erin Delaney, ‘Introduction: Chief Justices and Democratic Resilience: Judicial Leadership in Times of Constitutional Crisis’ (2025) 23 International Journal of Constitutional Law 148 (with Rosalind Dixon and David Kosař)
- Jeff King, ‘The Rule of Law’ in Richard Bellamy and Jeff King (eds), The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory (Cambridge University Press 2025)