Deference and Divergence in Regional Human Rights Courts

<p><b>In </b><b><i>Deference and Divergence in Regional Human Rights Courts</i></b><b>, Maria A. Sanchez tackles a central tension in global governance: how international human rights courts balance their mandates with the imperative to respect national sovereignty. </b>Despite having similar mandates, the world's three regional human rights courts – the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights – interpret their authority differently, leading to uneven regional enforcement of global human rights principles.</p><p>Maria A. Sanchez traces how the geopolitical dynamics of each court's founding moments have manifested in contemporary disparities across the courts' jurisprudences – focusing on disputes involving freedom of expression, personal integrity rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Her findings expose a paradox: the courts that were founded in the most inhospitable environments for human rights have ended up asserting the most expansive authority over governments.</p><p>Deeply researched and insightful,<i> Deference and Divergence in Regional Human Rights Courts</i> speaks to when and how international institutions can leverage authority to intervene in domestic affairs.</p>