Research
Recent Work
Above the Law: The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Guatemala
In this report, The Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford Law School, alongside The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice of the New York City Bar Association, documented serious misconduct and abuse of power by Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s Office under its current leadership. The two organizations highlight the lack of an independent and impartial mechanism for holding the Attorney General accountable for misconduct and issue recommendations to the State of Guatemala for reform.
Released Date: October 8, 2024
Por encima de la ley: el Ministerio Público en Guatemala
En este informe, el Rule of Law Impact Lab de la Facultad de Derecho de Stanford, junto con el Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice del Colegio de Abogados de la Ciudad de Nueva York, documentaron graves faltas y abuso de poder por parte del Ministerio Público de Guatemala bajo su actual liderazgo. Las dos organizaciones destacan la falta de un mecanismo independiente e imparcial que garantice la rendición de cuentas del Fiscal General por mala conducta y emiten una serie de recomendaciones al Estado de Guatemala para reformar este mecanismo.
Fecha de lanzamiento: 8 de octubre de 2024
Lea el informe
The following publications were published under the auspices of the Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford Law School prior to July 2025.
A Threat to Judicial Independence: Constitutional Reform Proposals in Mexico
The Mexican Bar Association, the Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford Law School, and the Inter-American Dialogue’s Rule of Law Program's report analyzes the constitutional reform proposals submitted by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to the Mexican Congress in February 2024. The analysis concludes that the proposals regarding the federal judiciary constitute a direct threat to judicial independence, violate international standards, and undermine democracy in Mexico.
Released Date: May 2, 2024
Una Amenaza a la Independencia Judicial: Análisis de la iniciativa de reformas constitucionales en México
La Barra Mexicana – Colegio de Abogados, el Laboratorio de Impacto sobre el Estado de Derecho de la Facultad de Derecho de Stanford y el Programa sobre Estado de derecho del Diálogo Interamericano publicaron hoy un informe que analiza las propuestas de reforma constitucional presentadas por el Presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador al Congreso mexicano en febrero de 2024. El análisis concluye que las propuestas sobre el poder judicial federal constituyen una amenaza directa a la independencia judicial, violan estándares internacionales y socavan la democracia en México.
Fecha de lanzamiento: 2 de mayo de 2024
The following publications were published under the auspices of the Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford Law School prior to July 2025.
The following publications were published under the auspices of the Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford Law School prior to July 2025.
Denying Justice: Senegal’s Amnesty Law
In this report, the Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford University Law School, alongside Senegalese NGO Afrikajom, shows how Senegal’s 2024 amnesty law violates the country’s obligations under international law. The two organizations highlight treaties ratified by Senegal and relevant jurisprudence from human rights bodies, including the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, whose jurisprudence Senegal is required to comply with.
Released Date: January 2025
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La Loi D'Amniste Au Senegal: Un Deni de Justice
Dans ce rapport, le Rule of Law Impact Lab de la faculté de l’Université de Stanford, ainsi que l’ONG sénégalaise Afrikajom, montrent comment la loi d’amnistie sénégalaise de 2024 viole les obligations du pays en vertu du droit international. Les deux organisations mettent en avant les traités ratifiés par le Sénégal et la jurisprudence pertinente des organismes de défense des droits de l’homme, notamment celle de la Cour africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples, à laquelle le Sénégal est tenu de se conformer.
Date de sortie : janvier 2025
The following publications were published under the auspices of the Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford Law School prior to July 2025.
“Why Do They Hate Us So Much?”: Discriminatory Censorship Harms Education in Florida
Since 2021, political leaders in the US state of Florida have reshaped K-12 schools through laws and policies that censor, distort, and discriminate. Such efforts include passing laws restricting classroom instruction about race in US history, sexual orientation and gender identity, banning books available to students, and setting inaccurate and misleading civics and history standards.
"Why Do They Hate Us So Much" documents the impacts on students of Florida’s denial of access to accurate information about Black history, systemic racism, and about their health, when related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Florida leads the United States in the number of books banned from classrooms and school libraries, primarily literature written by or about LGBTQ people and people of color. Students and teachers report that new legal and curriculum changes have created an environment more conducive to harassment and discrimination in the classroom on the basis of race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Parents and teachers describe the difficulty of providing children with an education free from discrimination in the increasingly hostile environment.
Human Rights Watch, Florida Rising, and Stanford Law School Rule of Law Impact Lab call on Florida to rescind its discriminatory policies and promote a curriculum that counters discrimination and prepares students to live healthy lives in a diverse society. They also call for a bold federal response to address this civil and human rights crisis in US public schools.
Released Date: June 19, 2024