ABSTRACT
It should not be surprising that authoritarian regimes seek to establish courts. The victims of the Moscow trials of the 1930s, political opponents in fascist Italy, Argentina, and Brazil in the 1970s, or in China, the famous “gang of four” were all tried in formal courts, with the explicit support of their respective regimes. Authoritarian systems rely on courts because formal legal institutions are expected to bring legitimacy to decisions that may not be fair or equitable. These courts are not limited to criminal or political cases. Courts handling cases in civil, economic, and administrative cases exist in many authoritarian regimes, as well.
