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Judicial Activism in Perilous Times: The Turkish Case

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Güneş Murat Tezcür
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Abstract

Under what circumstances do courts act in ways that challenge the political hegemony of the military in countries with weak democratic institutions? This article addresses this question by focusing on a critical case of judicial activism in Turkey. It argues that lower courts unexpectedly can be centers of judicial activism that contributes to expansion of civil liberties and restrictions on arbitrary state power when the high judiciary supports the political status quo. This is because lower courts provide greater access to legal mobilization pursued by civil society actors. At the same time, judicial activism in lower courts is sustainable only when political power is distributed among elites with conflicting interests, and the civilian government offers support and protection to activist members of the judiciary.

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Law & Society Review , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , June 2009 , pp. 305 - 336
Copyright
© 2009 Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

I would like to acknowledge the helpful comments of Claudio Katz, LSR editor Carroll Seron, an anonymous referee, and an Editorial Board member. I am also very grateful to the individuals in Turkey, particularly Cevdet Canan, who provided me with valuable assistance. The field research is supported by grants from the United States Institute of Peace and Loyola University Chicago. This article is dedicated to the memory of Turkish journalist Uğur Mumcu, who was murdered in January 1993.

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