University of Wisconsin Law School has long had faculty and programs examining democracy, the rule of law and the role of legal institutions in society.

The Law School’s new strategic plan elevates that work to a stand-alone priority, building on existing strengths while creating new opportunities for research, teaching, public education and constructive dialogue across political and social differences.

Among those efforts is Lawyers and Democratic Decline (LADD), an international community of scholars examining the role of lawyers and judges in resisting — and, at times, enabling — authoritarianism amid democratic backsliding.

Led by Professor Kathryn Hendley, LADD brings together scholars from around the world to explore how legal professionals navigate repression, uphold democratic norms and reconcile their professional responsibilities with moments of political instability.

“There’s been a lot of discourse written on democratic decline in the last decade, but lawyers and judges have surprisingly been left out,” Hendley said. “We’re putting them at the forefront of that discussion of the preservation of democracy across the globe.”

As LADD continues to grow, so does its role as a resource beyond the university.

Its website serves as a clearinghouse for scholarship and resources on lawyers, judges and democratic decline, connecting those engaged in research with lawyers and judges, policymakers, leaders and members of the broader public seeking to better understand these issues.

The goal is to make research accessible and useful across disciplines and professions while fostering a broader conversation about the role of legal institutions in times of political change.

In February, LADD co-sponsored the Wisconsin International Law Journal Symposium. The annual scholarly forum brings together legal scholars, practitioners and students to examine a timely international or comparative law issue from multiple perspectives.

The 2026 symposium focused specifically on how judges and lawyers respond when democratic institutions come under pressure from authoritarianism or democratic backsliding. The central purpose was to understand the role of the legal profession in periods of democratic decline — particularly what judges, lawyers, prosecutors, public defenders and other legal actors do when governments become more authoritarian and legal institutions face pressure.

The organizers aimed to compare experiences across countries and identify the factors that shape lawyers’ and judges’ behavior.

That work is receiving a boost from a $50,000 matching opportunity established by emeritus professors David and Louise Trubek. The Trubeks will match new gifts to LADD dollar for dollar, up to $5,000 per donor, providing an opportunity for alumni and friends to help expand the project’s reach and impact.

The match will support LADD’s growing slate of initiatives, including comparative research, conferences that bring scholars and practitioners together, its online clearinghouse of scholarship and a fellowship for emerging scholars in this growing field.

Donors who give $5,000 or more to LADD can double the impact of their support while becoming members of UW Law’s Benchers’ Society, the school’s leadership giving group. The match will remain available until the $50,000 fund is exhausted.

A Gift Inspired by Experience

For Ambassador John E. Lange (Ret.) ’75, the work of LADD resonated with experiences that have shaped his career and perspective on democratic institutions.

Over the years, Lange observed the decline of democratic norms and the rise of authoritarianism in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. He was particularly struck by the breadth of LADD’s work and its focus on the “often-pivotal” role played by lawyers in these environments. His interest in
the project led him to make a gift to LADD.

“Look around the world and you see democracy under threat on just about every continent,” he said. “Much progress was made in the evolution toward democratic norms and standards following the end of the Cold War, but today we are witnessing a regression in many countries.”

During his accomplished career, Lange saw firsthand how institutions and individuals respond under extraordinary pressure. Those experiences have shaped his thinking about the role professionals play in protecting institutions during times of crisis.

“I had my own experience in that regard while I was in charge of the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Aug. 7, 1998, when Al Qaeda blew up American Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam nearly simultaneously,” he said. “We refused to let the terrorists drive the United States out of Tanzania and worked diligently to resurrect our operations with strong support from the Tanzanian government. The crisis response by Foreign Service Officers and a wide range of U.S. government professionals was critical.”

During his tours of duty at American embassies in Lomé, Togo, and Dar es Salaam and as ambassador to Botswana, Lange witnessed how important the work of professionals in and out of government — including those working in nongovernmental organizations, law, academia and the media — was in protecting institutions and pressing government leaders to meet democratic norms.
Lange, a double Badger, has remained deeply engaged with UW–Madison since graduation.

“Given my focus on international affairs and global issues, I have come to appreciate more than ever how the Wisconsin Idea permeates the work of the university, including the Law School,” he said.

“The Wisconsin Idea is a general principle that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom — in Wisconsin, the nation and the world. The UW Law School is exceptional in embodying such a global approach.”