Dr. Meghan Leonard published a paper, “Democratic Backsliding in the American States: The Case of Judicial Independence” in Publius: The Journal of Federalism.
Leonard argues that court-curbing bills introduced by state legislatures are attacks on judicial independence, a central component of a functioning democracy. She finds that the use of this legislation to attack courts and their ability to make decisions is related to other types of democratic backsliding, such as laws that make it harder to vote.
