Kim Lane Scheppele’s concept of describes a process where democratically elected leaders use their electoral mandates to dismantle constitutional checks and balances through legal means . Unlike traditional coups that use tanks and violence, autocratic legalists use the law to kill democracy. Core Definition
Packing courts with loyalists or changing retirement ages to force out independent judges. autocratic legalism kim lane scheppele upd
Electoral laws are often redesigned to favor the incumbent. Gerrymandering, changes to campaign finance, and the introduction of complex voting rules make it nearly impossible for a fractured opposition to win, even if they hold a majority of the popular vote. Why It Works Kim Lane Scheppele’s concept of describes a process
Between 2010 and 2014, Orbán’s government enacted a new constitution (the Fundamental Law), reduced the Constitutional Court’s jurisdiction over fiscal matters, slashed the retirement age for judges from 70 to 62 (dismissing nearly 300 judges at once), installed a pro-government media council, and rewrote election rules to entrench the majority. Every step was legally taken. No tanks rolled. Yet by 2014, Hungary was no longer a liberal democracy. Electoral laws are often redesigned to favor the incumbent
: Because the leader is popular, many citizens view the dismantling of institutions as "cleaning up" a corrupt or slow-moving "old system."