SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG
Read and share extraordinary stories from the frontlines of social change
How Litigation Advances Our Democracy
You might wonder what litigation has to do with democracy. In her brilliant book, In Praise of Litigation, Professor Alexandra Lahav explains exactly that. She persuasively argues that litigation advances important democratic values and facilitates self-government. Put simply, litigation allows an ordinary person—regardless of social status—to bring a multi-national corporation to court to account for breaking the law and causing injury. Ordinary citizens, acting as jurors, in turn hold the power to weigh the evidence and determine whether the law has been broken. In this way, Lahav observes, litigation both reinforces social equality and ensures that no person in our democracy is above the law.