Description: Latin America was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of what has come to be known as the judicialization of politics - the use of law and legal institutions as tools of social contestation to curb the abuse of power in government, resolve policy disputes, and enforce and expand civil, political, and socio-economic rights. Almost forty years into this experiment, The Limits of Judicialization brings together a cross-disciplinary group of scholars to assess the role that law and courts play in Latin American politics. Featuring studies of hot-button topics including abortion, state violence, judicial corruption, and corruption prosecutions, this volume argues that the institutional and cultural changes that empowered courts, what the editors call the 'judicialization superstructure, ' often fall short of the promise of greater accountability and rights protection. Illustrative and expansive, this volume offers a truly interdisciplinary analysis of the limits of judicialized politics.
Brief description: Sandra Botero is Assistant Professor at Universidad del Rosario in Bogota. She specializes in studying the relationship between the judiciary and democracy, as well as electoral behavior, with a regional focus on Latin America.
Review Quotes: "The Limits of Judicialization pushes the boundaries of the field. It is a seminal contribution to the study of judicial politics in comparative perspective, and an essential read for anyone interested in courts in Latin America, including graduate students, scholars, and practitioners. It engages masterfully with existing research and opens new and fruitful avenues for future work in the region and beyond." Raul Sanchez-Urribarri, Senior Lecturer in Crime, Justice and Legal Studies, La Trobe University, Melbourne