Lawyering Without Law â Details, episodes & analysis
Podcast details
Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.
We often frame authoritarianism as lawless, marked by constitutional rupture or institutional breakdown. But some of the most effective assaults on democracy have operated through law itself.
Around the world, leaders like Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan in Turkey and the former prime minister of Hungary, Viktor OrbĂĄn, have used legal systems, rules of law, and institutional practices to consolidate power, restrict dissent, and hollow out democratic accountability from within. That pattern is becoming more visible in the United States, where mounting political pressure on courts, lawyers, and legal institutions is raising urgent questions about the role of the legal profession in moments of democratic crisis.Â
âLawyering Without Law,â a bi-weekly podcast from the Knight Institute, interrogates the unique and important role that lawyers play in defending democracy, or in facilitating the slide into authoritarianism. Hosted by Knight Institute Senior Fellow and Columbia Law Professor Madhav Khosla and the Knight Instituteâs Research Director Katy Glenn Bass, the series brings together scholars, litigators, and practitioners to explore these dynamics across historical and contemporary contexts. Drawing on global examples of democratic backsliding, each episode connects these developments to the United States and outlines what is at stake for the legal profession and for democracy itself.Â
Read more about Khoslaâs research project with the Knight Institute examining the crucial role that lawyers can play in preserving democratic freedoms and institutions here.
âLawyering Without Lawâ is available on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get podcasts. Listen, subscribe, and leave a review. We'd love to know what you think.
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Apple Podcasts
đŹđ§ Great Britain - newsCommentary
27/05/2026#71đşđ¸ USA - newsCommentary
23/05/2026#93đşđ¸ USA - newsCommentary
22/05/2026#84đşđ¸ USA - newsCommentary
21/05/2026#65đşđ¸ USA - newsCommentary
20/05/2026#50đşđ¸ USA - newsCommentary
19/05/2026#77
Spotify
No recent rankings available
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
See allRSS feed quality and score
Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.
See allScore global : 63%
Publication history
Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.
Principle vs. Profit: How Institutions Lose Their Way
Episode 2
vendredi 15 mai 2026 ⢠Duration 37:42
Bribery is the corruption we prosecute. But according to Lawrence Lessig, it's institutional corruption that poses the most danger to American democracy. Hosts Katy Glenn Bass and Madhav Khosla speak with the Harvard Law professor who makes a pointed distinction: the corruption hollowing out American institutions isnât about bribes, itâs structuralâthe capture of courts, law firms, corporations, and Congress by economic dependencies pull each away from its founding purpose and leave them vulnerable to political pressure. Yet Lessig finds hope in the lawyers who have refused to bend, in universities that eventually drew a line, and in preparing law students to make professional decisions that align with their values.
"Lawyering Without Law" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. Weâd love to know what you think.
To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org, and follow us on social media.
What Does Legal Authoritarianism Look Like?
Episode 1
vendredi 1 mai 2026 ⢠Duration 39:22
What does authoritarianism look like when it operates through law? In the first episode of âLawyer Without Law,â hosts Katy Glenn Bass and Madhav Khosla speak with Princeton University Professor Kim Lane Scheppele. They explore historic examples of the legal professionâs role in democratic backsliding around the world and in the United States. They examine how legal systems can consolidate power while maintaining the appearance of legitimacyâand what that means for lawyers and legal institutions as democratic norms come under strain.
"Lawyering Without Law" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. Weâd love to know what you think.
To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org, and follow us on social media.
"Lawyering Without Law," a New Podcast from the Knight First Amendment Institute
mercredi 22 avril 2026 ⢠Duration 01:49
What happens when law becomes a tool of democratic decline?
Authoritarianism is often framed as lawless. But many of the most effective assaults on democracy operate through law itself.
âLawyering Without Lawâ is a biweekly podcast examining the role lawyers play in defending democracy or facilitating the slide into authoritarianism.
Across six episodes, the series brings together scholars, litigators, and practitioners to explore how legal systems are used, bent, and contested as democratic backsliding unfolds in the United States and around the world.
"Lawyering Without Law" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. Weâd love to know what you think.
To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org, and follow us on social media.
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
