From Expansion to Erosion: The Global Trajectory of Judicial Independence, 1960–2018

ABSTRACT Judicial independence expanded globally throughout the twentieth century, but this trajectory has recently come under pressure. In recent years, governments around the world have increasingly challenged judicial autonomy. This study unpacks this global reversal by analyzing data from 156 states between 1960 and 2018. Drawing on world society theory and related scholarship, I use panel regression models to examine how domestic conditions and states' memberships in liberal and illiberal international organizations are associated with judicial independence. The findings reveal a growing divide: While states embedded in liberal world society tend to maintain higher levels of judicial independence, those aligned with illiberal international organizations show signs of erosion—particularly during the postliberal period since 2008. I conclude by arguing that attention should focus not only on the widening gap between liberal and illiberal alignments but also on the emerging entanglements and erosion of liberal norms themselves.