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Welcome to the fourth installment of our series on democracy and the rule of law.
In our last installment, retired Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Robert Cordy described his work advising judges in Russia and Turkey how they could align their judicial systems with the judicial systems of Western countries, an alignment that could have improved those nations’ relationships with the West. He also described how, after years of effort, that work was abruptly shut down by those nations’ autocratic rulers, who saw it as a threat to their power.
Justice Cordy and I also discussed two key pillars of democracy -- judicial independence and a free press. When autocrats take control of a country, they begin by taking control of the courts and the media. Judges and reporters who oppose a dictator are jailed or worse. Constitutions are rewritten to place the courts under the autocrat’s control. The dictatorial ruler takes over the press, and any news outlet that publishes content critical of the ruler is shut down.
In this fourth installment of our series on Democracy and the Rule of Law, Justice Cordy and I continue our discussion about the autocrat’s playbook. Mr. Cordy also provides a hopeful glimpse of change in one Central Asian country, explains what worries him about developments in the United States, and describes the important role of the lawyer in defending our constitutional democracy.
Once again, the full interview is available at the Higher Callings website and other podcast platforms.
