From research to action: defending democracy

• Department of Law

This event, organised by the Constitutional Law and Politics Working Group (ConstPol), features a discussion with Law Professor Amrit Singh (New York University) on the work of the NYU Rule of Law Lab.

The Rule of Law Lab at NYU Law serves as a bridge between academia and practice, using academic research to inform and deploy practical legal strategies in defense of the rule of law. This event will feature Professor Amrit Singh, Professor of the Practice of Law and Founding Faculty Director of the Rule of Law Lab at NYU Law, in conversation about the Lab’s innovative work combining litigation, documentation, and advocacy in collaboration with local practitioners around the world. It will be an opportunity to discuss the Lab’s ongoing initiatives in countries such as Mexico, Georgia, Guatemala, Senegal, and the United States, and to reflect on how academic institutions can contribute to defending democratic institutions in practice. The event aims to foster dialogue between academic and civil society actors interested in developing concrete legal tools for democratic resilience in the EU and beyond. Please note that due to client confidentiality, some aspects of the Lab’s work cannot be publicly discussed.

Speaker:

Amrit Singh is Professor of the Practice of Law and founding Executive Director of the Rule of Law Impact Lab at NYU Law School, which studies and deploys innovative legal tools to combat democratic decline worldwide. A human rights lawyer, as well as an expert on democracy and the rule of law, she has conducted strategic litigation, research, and advocacy on a broad range of rule of law issues in the U.S. and globally. Prior to joining Stanford, Singh served as director of the Accountability Division at the Open Society Justice Initiative where she oversaw projects on numerous rule of law and human rights issues. She successfully litigated before the European Court of Human Rights cases seeking accountability for European government complicity in the CIA’s post-September 11, 2001, torture program. She successfully challenged Egypt’s emergency law as well as its torture and arbitrary detention practices before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Among other cases, she served as counsel in U.S. litigation seeking accountability for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Singh has previously taught at Yale Law School and at the New York University School of Law. She has testified before Congress and is a frequent commentator in the U.S. and international press.