\u201cIn democracies around the world, elected leaders are challenging legal constraints on their power: Just look at Brazil, India, Israel, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, and Turkey,\u201d Andrew O\u2019Donohue wrote<\/a> last week. The Trump administration\u2019s attacks on the U.S. judiciary follow this pattern\u2014though, as O\u2019Donohue noted, they have been \u201cunusually swift and severe.\u201d<\/p>\n This edition of Flash Points seeks to place recent White House moves in a global context and examine what can be learned from other democracies that have faced campaigns to undermine judicial limits on executive power.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIn democracies around the world, elected leaders are challenging legal constraints on their power: Just look at Brazil, India, Israel, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, and Turkey,\u201d Andrew O\u2019Donohue wrote<\/a> last week. The Trump administration\u2019s attacks on the U.S. judiciary follow this pattern\u2014though, as O\u2019Donohue noted, they have been \u201cunusually swift and severe.\u201d<\/p>\n This edition of Flash Points seeks to place recent White House moves in a global context and examine what can be learned from other democracies that have faced campaigns to undermine judicial limits on executive power.<\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during Trump\u2019s inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20. Chip Somodevilla\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n But other democracies provide a roadmap for courts to prevail over attacks from the executive branch, Andrew O\u2019Donohue writes.<\/p>\n A member of the National Association of Magistrates and District Judges holds a Mexican flag as she takes part in a protest against a judicial reform approved by the Senate in Mexico City on Sept. 11, 2024.Rodrigo Oropeza\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The former president has concentrated power in his party\u2014and destabilized institutions in the process, Emiliano Polo writes.<\/p>\n A protester wears a mask of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally against the Israeli government in Jerusalem on March 19.Amir Levy\/Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n A showdown is brewing after Bibi moves to fire two top aides, David E. Rosenberg writes.<\/p>\n Newly appointed attorney general Rodolfo Delgado is sworn in during the first plenary session of the Legislative Assembly in San Salvador, on May 2, 2021. STANLEY ESTRADA\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n El Salvador\u2019s populist president is following the playbook of corrupt elites in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras when it comes to top courts, Will Freeman and Adriana Beltr\u00e1n write.<\/p>\n Journalists gather at the courtyard of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi on Oct. 17, 2023.Sajjad Hussain\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n A recent ruling on campaign finance reflected a judicial independence that will be key to checking Modi\u2019s power, FP\u2019s Sumit Ganguly writes.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n <\/span>The U.S. Judicial Crisis Is Uniquely Dangerous<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Mexico-judicial-reform-protest-AMLO-GettyImages-2170688786.jpg\")
\n <\/span>How AMLO Destroyed Mexican Democracy<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205286716.jpg\")
\n <\/span>Can Israel\u2019s Highest Court Stop Netanyahu?<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1232642965.jpg\")
\n <\/span>In Central America, Rule of Law Is Under Attack. El Salvador Is the Latest Victim.<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n
\n ![\"People](\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/india-supreme-court-GettyImages-1729059649.jpg\")
\n <\/span>India\u2019s Courts Must Keep Their Autonomy<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n