Between Autocratic Legalism and Traditional Values: Russian Academic Lawyers' Views on the Country's Conservative Turn

Abstract

We examine the reception of Russia's post-2012 conservative turn by the country's legal academics. Based on a nationally representative survey of 3766 academic lawyers conducted in May–June 2022, we test how demographic, professional, and regional factors influence support for conservative policies. We uncover significant differences across age cohorts and professions: older lawyers, graduates of departmental law schools, and those with law enforcement backgrounds are more supportive of conservative measures, while younger scholars, those involved in international academia, and residents of major cities tend to hold more liberal views. In line with popular opinion, support for “gay propaganda” legislation is uniformly high among legal scholars. In contrast, scholars are critical of state surveillance and compulsory religious education. These findings supplement recent critiques of Karpik and Halliday's “legal complex” theory by demonstrating not only that lawyers may hold diverse and conflicting political values, but also that this variation is systematically associated with different forms of professional socialization, institutional location, and transnational academic engagement. The article thus shows how distinct segments of the legal profession become embedded in broader social and political networks that shape their orientations toward liberal and illiberal legal change. The article also contributes to the broader discussion on the role of legal elites in authoritarian settings by demonstrating that they do not form a united liberal front yet nor are they fully aligned with the conservative state agenda.