In many democracies today, elected leaders challenge institutions, undermine electoral rules, and test the limits of constitutional order. Yet legal accountability for such actions remains rare. In this episode of the Review of Democracy podcast, produced in cooperation with the Journal of Democracy, Gabriel Pereira speaks with Luciano Da Ros and Manoel Gehrke about their article “How to Bring Authoritarians to Justice.”
Focusing on Brazil’s response to Jair Bolsonaro’s attempt to overturn the 2022 election results, they examine how courts can confront authoritarian behavior by elected leaders—and why judicial action sometimes succeeds where political opposition alone does not. The conversation explores the strategic role of Brazil’s high courts, the tensions between judicial intervention and democratic legitimacy, and what Brazil’s experience reveals about the broader challenge of defending democracy in the twenty-first century.
Luciano Da Ros is Professor of Political Science at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. His research focuses on courts, judicial politics, and the role of legal institutions in democratic governance.
Manoel Gehrke is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Pisa (in Italy).
This interview was conducted by Gabriel Pereira. Lilit Hakobyan edited the audio file.
