Lawyering Without Law Fri, 01 May 2026 17:30:46 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2609059 en-us © 2026 Lawyering Without Law yes fadf1b27-3820-58c8-919b-4cb2fb1a213b Knight First Amendment Institute episodic false We often frame authoritarianism as lawless, marked by constitutional rupture or institutional breakdown. But some of the most effective assaults on democracy have operated through law itself.


Around the world, leaders like Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey and the former prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, have used legal systems, rules of law, and institutional practices to consolidate power, restrict dissent, and hollow out democratic accountability from within. That pattern is becoming more visible in the United States, where mounting political pressure on courts, lawyers, and legal institutions is raising urgent questions about the role of the legal profession in moments of democratic crisis. 


“Lawyering Without Law,” a bi-weekly podcast from the Knight Institute, interrogates the unique and important role that lawyers play in defending democracy, or in facilitating the slide into authoritarianism. Hosted by Knight Institute Senior Fellow and Columbia Law Professor Madhav Khosla and the Knight Institute’s Research Director Katy Glenn Bass, the series brings together scholars, litigators, and practitioners to explore these dynamics across historical and contemporary contexts. Drawing on global examples of democratic backsliding, each episode connects these developments to the United States and outlines what is at stake for the legal profession and for democracy itself. 


Read more about Khosla’s research project with the Knight Institute examining the crucial role that lawyers can play in preserving democratic freedoms and institutions here.


“Lawyering Without Law” is available on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get podcasts. Listen, subscribe, and leave a review. We'd love to know what you think.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Knight First Amendment Institute https://storage.buzzsprout.com/z6s6ntt8r3wqo5ems74oss0h824q?.jpg Lawyering Without Law What Does Legal Authoritarianism Look Like? What Does Legal Authoritarianism Look Like? What does authoritarianism look like when it operates through law? In the first episode of “Lawyer Without Law,” hosts Katy Glenn Bass and Madhav Khosla speak with Princeton University Professor Kim Lane Scheppele. They explore historic examples of the legal profession’s role in democratic backsliding around the world and in the United States. They examine how legal systems can consolidate power while maintaining the appearance of legitimacy—and what that means for lawyers and legal institutions as democratic norms come under strain.

"Lawyering Without Law" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think.

To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org, and follow us on social media.

]]> What does authoritarianism look like when it operates through law? In the first episode of “Lawyer Without Law,” hosts Katy Glenn Bass and Madhav Khosla speak with Princeton University Professor Kim Lane Scheppele. They explore historic examples of the legal profession’s role in democratic backsliding around the world and in the United States. They examine how legal systems can consolidate power while maintaining the appearance of legitimacy—and what that means for lawyers and legal institutions as democratic norms come under strain.

"Lawyering Without Law" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think.

To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org, and follow us on social media.

]]> Knight First Amendment Institute Buzzsprout-19105365 Fri, 01 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400 2362 1 full false "Lawyering Without Law," a New Podcast from the Knight First Amendment Institute "Lawyering Without Law," a New Podcast from the Knight First Amendment Institute What happens when law becomes a tool of democratic decline?

Authoritarianism is often framed as lawless. But many of the most effective assaults on democracy operate through law itself.

“Lawyering Without Law” is a biweekly podcast examining the role lawyers play in defending democracy or facilitating the slide into authoritarianism.

Across six episodes, the series brings together scholars, litigators, and practitioners to explore how legal systems are used, bent, and contested as democratic backsliding unfolds in the United States and around the world.

"Lawyering Without Law" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think.

To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org, and follow us on social media.

]]> What happens when law becomes a tool of democratic decline?

Authoritarianism is often framed as lawless. But many of the most effective assaults on democracy operate through law itself.

“Lawyering Without Law” is a biweekly podcast examining the role lawyers play in defending democracy or facilitating the slide into authoritarianism.

Across six episodes, the series brings together scholars, litigators, and practitioners to explore how legal systems are used, bent, and contested as democratic backsliding unfolds in the United States and around the world.

"Lawyering Without Law" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think.

To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org, and follow us on social media.

]]> Knight First Amendment Institute Buzzsprout-19060981 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:00 -0400 109 trailer false