WashU Law’s course Law and Courts in Authoritarian Regimes, taught by Distinguished Visiting Scholar Julio Rios-Figueroa, examined how legal institutions function under non-democratic rule and in political systems undergoing transition. The course explored how courts operate differently across regime types, moving beyond formal theories to consider the complex realities of countries that fall into the gray area between democracy and authoritarianism.
Rios-Figueroa’s approach is shaped in part by his background as a citizen of Mexico, a country that transitioned from a long-standing authoritarian regime to democracy and now faces what many scholars describe as “democratic erosion.” Drawing on comparative and empirical scholarship, the course challenged students to work carefully with contested concepts such as democracy, authoritarianism, constitutionalism, and the rule of law. Students analyzed how courts and legal actors interact with political power across systems, using clear definitions and empirical indicators to support rigorous discussion.
Rios-Figueroa describes teaching at WashU Law as a rewarding and intellectually enriching experience, citing the strong engagement and diverse perspectives students bring to the classroom. He hopes the course encouraged students to appreciate interdisciplinary and empirical approaches to studying law and courts, and to carry forward a deeper understanding of how legal institutions shape, and are shaped by, political instability across regimes.
Ríos-Figueroa is a professor in the Department of Law at ITAM in Mexico City and earned his Ph.D. in Politics from New York University. His research centers on comparative judicial politics, the rule of law, and empirical legal studies, with a particular focus on Latin America. He is the author of Constitutional Courts as Mediators: Armed Conflict, Civil-Military Relations, and the Rule of Law in Latin America and co-editor, with Gretchen Helmke, of Courts in Latin America, both published by Cambridge University Press.
