Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Legal Mobilization as an Oppositional Strategy: From Individual Activation to Collective Action

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Opposition in the EU Multi-Level Polity

  • 287 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter reflects on legal mobilization as an oppositional strategy. Analytically, legal mobilization connects seamlessly to the POS framework in linking structure and agency. In order to understand how and why constitutional complaints are transformed into a vehicle for mobilization, we first devote attention to the relevance of law as a master frame that does not only impinge on individuals’ motivation to participate in collective action, but is also crucial for gaining access to (constitutional) courts and facilitating the receptivity of judges to claims. We then address individual and collective dimensions of legal mobilization, highlighting the dual process of individual activation and collective organization. In particular, we consider mass constitutional complaints as a phenomenon of collective legal mobilization and strategic litigation. We conclude by establishing a common ground between legal mobilization and our concept of opposition.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adam, C., Bauer, M. W., Hartlapp, M., & Mathieu, E. (2020). Taking the EU to court: Annulment proceedings and multilevel judicial conflict. Palgrave studies in European Union politics. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersen, E. A. (2005). Out of the closets and into the courts: Legal opportunity structure and gay rights litigation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anheier, H. K., & Scherer, N. (2015). Voluntary actions and social movements. In D. Della Porta & M. Diani (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of social movements (pp. 494–510). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (2000). Exercise of human agency through collective efficacy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(3), 75–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benford, R. D., & Snow, D. A. (2000). Framing processes and social movements: An overview and assessment. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 611–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. M. (1977). Lobbying for the people: The political behavior of public interest groups. Princeton Legacy Library. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blankenburg, E. (1995). Mobilisierung des Rechts: Eine Einführung in die Rechtssoziologie. Springer-Lehrbuch. Berlina and Heidelberg: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blankenburg, E. (1998). Die Verfassungsbeschwerde - Nebenbühne der Politik und Klagemauer von Bürgern. Kritische Justiz, 31(2), 203–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouwen, P., & McCown, M. (2007). Lobbying versus litigation: Political and legal strategies of interest representation in the European Union. Journal of European Public Policy, 14(3), 422–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A., Gurin, G., & Miller, W. E. (1954). The voter decides. Evanston: Row, Peterson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cichowski, R. A. (2007). The European court and civil society: Litigation, mobilization and governance. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Conant, L., Hofmann, A., Soennecken, D., & Vanhala, L. (2018). Mobilizing European law. Journal of European Public Policy, 25(9), 1376–1389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cortner, R. (1968). Strategies and tactics of litigants in constitutional cases. Journal of Public Law, 17(2), 287–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eijkman, Q. (2017). Indiscriminate bulk data interception and group privacy: Do Human Rights organisations retaliate through strategic litigation. In L. Taylor, L. Floridi, & B. van der Sloot (Eds.), Philosophical studies series: Volume 126. Group privacy: New challenges of data technologies (pp. 123–138). Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Epp, C. R. (2008). The rights revolution: Lawyers, activists, and supreme courts in comparative perspective (4th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felstiner, W. L. F., Abel, R. L., & Sarat, A. (1980). The emergence and transformation of disputes: Naming, blaming, claiming. Law and Society Review, 15(3), 631–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, G. (2019). Was ist strategische Prozessführung? In A. Graser & C. Helmrich (Eds.), Strategic Litigation: Begriff und Praxis (pp. 43–52). Baden-Baden: Nomos.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Galanter, M. (1974). Why the haves come out ahead: Speculations on the limits of legal change. Law Society Review, 9(1), 95–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gawron, T., & Schäfer, R. (1976). Justiz und organisierte Interessen in der BRD. In P. Kielmansegg (Ed.), Politische Vierteljahresschrift Sonderheft: 7/1976. Legitimationsprobleme Politischer Systeme: Tagung der Deutschen Vereinigung für Politische Wissenschaft in Du-isburg, Herbst 1975 (pp. 217–269). Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grande, E. (2000). Multi-Level Governance: Institutionelle Besonderheiten und Funktionsbe-dingungen des europäischen Mehrebenensystems. In E. Grande & M. Jachtenfuchs (Eds.), Wie problemlösungsfähig ist die EU?: Regieren im europäischen Mehrebenensystem (pp. 11–25). Baden-Baden: Nomos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gusy, C. (2015). Die Verfassungsbeschwerde. In R. C. van Ooyen & M. H. W. Möllers (Eds.), Handbuch Bundesverfassungsgericht im politischen System (2nd ed., pp. 333–347). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, L. (2019). Strategische Prozessführung. Zeitschrift Für Rechtssoziologie, 39(1), 5–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helmrich, C. (2019). Wir wissen eigentlich gar nicht, was strategische Prozessführung ist. In A. Graser & C. Helmrich (Eds.), Strategic Litigation: Begriff und Praxis (pp. 31–35). Baden-Baden: Nomos.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hönnige, C. (2010). Beyond judicialization: Why we need more comparative research about constitutional courts. European Political Science, 10(3), 346–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutter, S., & Grande, E. (2014). Politicizing Europe in the National Electoral Arena: A comparative analysis of five West European countries, 1970–2010. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 52(5), 1002–1018.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ionescu, G., & de Madariaga, I. (1968). Opposition: Past and present of a political institution. London: Watts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kingdon, J. W. (2003). Agendas, alternatives, and public policies (2nd ed.). Longman classics in political science. New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klandermans, B. (1997). The social psychology of protest. Oxford and Cambridge: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klandermans, B. (2013). The dynamics of demand. In J. van Stekelenburg, C. Roggeband, & B. Klandermans (Eds.), The future of social movement research: Dynamics, mechanisms, and processes (pp. 3–16). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kollman, K. (1998). Outside lobbying: Public opinion and interest group strategies. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kramm, L. (1986). Grundzüge einer Theorie der politischen Opposition. Zeitschrift Für Politik, 33(1), 33–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lobel, J. (2003). Success without victory: Lost legal battles and the long road to justice in America. New York and London: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCann, M. W. (2008). Litigation and legal mobilization. In K. E. Whittington (Ed.), The Oxford handbooks of political science (general ed.): Robert E. Goodin. The Oxford handbook of law and politics (pp. 522–540). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCann, M. W. (2016). Legal mobilization and social reform movements: Notes on theory and its application. In M. W. McCann (Ed.), International library of essays in law and society: Law and social movements (pp. 3–32). London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, J. D., & Zald, M. N. (1977). Resource mobilization and social movements: A partial theory. The American Journal of Sociology, 82(6), 1212–1241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pedriana, N. (2006). From protective to equal treatment: Legal framing processes and transformation of the women’s movement in the 1960s. American Journal of Sociology, 111(6), 1718–1761.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pralle, S. B. (2003). Venue shopping, political strategy, and policy change: The internationalization of Canadian Forest Advocacy. Journal of Public Policy, 23(3), 233–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Princen, S. (2011). Agenda-setting strategies in EU policy processes. Journal of European Public Policy, 18(7), 927–943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1994). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, H. (2009). Market rebels: How activists make or break radical innovations. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rucht, D. (2008). The impact of national contexts on social movement structures: A cross-movement and cross-national comparison. In D. McAdam, J. D. McCarthy, & M. N. Zald (Eds.), Cambridge studies in comparative politics: Comparative perspectives on social movements: Political opportunities, mobilizing structures, and cultural framings (9th ed., pp. 185–204). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salisbury, R. H. (1969). An exchange theory of interest groups. Midwest Journal of Political Science, 13(1), 1–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarat, A., & Scheingold, S. A. (Eds.). (2010a). Cause lawyers and social movements. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarat, A., & Scheingold, S. A. (2010b). What cause lawyers do for, and to, social movements. In A. Sarat & S. A. Scheingold (Eds.), Cause lawyers and social movements (pp. 1–34). Stanford, CA: Stanford Law and Politics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarat, A., & Scheingold, S. A. (Eds.). (2011). Oxford socio-legal studies. Cause lawyering: Political commitments and professional responsibilities. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheingold, S. A. (2004). The politics of rights: Lawyers, public policy, and political change (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schreier, C. (2011). Die Massenverfassungsbeschwerde beim Bundesverfassungsgericht: Versu-che der Revision von Rechtsnormen durch Bürgerinitiativen. Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schreier, C. (2013). Protest bis zur letzten Instanz - Massenverfassungsbeschwerden beim Bundesverfassungsgericht. In D. de Nève & T. Olteanu (Eds.), Politische Partizipation jen-seits der Konventionen (pp. 29–50). Opladen, Berlin, and Toronto: Barbara Budrich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, M. (1994). Juridicalization of Politics in the United States. International Political Science Review, 15(2), 101–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thierse, S. (2019). Policy entrepreneurship in the European Parliament: Reconsidering the influence of rapporteurs. Journal of European Public Policy, 26(2), 267–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thierse, S. (2020). Organisierte Interessen und Verfassungsbeschwerden vor dem Bundesverfassungsgericht. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 61(3), 553–597.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tresch, A., & Fischer, M. (2015). In search of political influence: Outside lobbying behaviour and media coverage of social movements, interest groups and political parties in six Western European countries. International Political Science Review, 36(4), 355–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T. R. (1987). Procedural justice research. Social Justice Research, 1(1), 41–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Stekelenburg, J., & Klandermans, B. (2013). The social psychology of protest. Current Sociology Review, 61(5–6), 886–905.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, L., Lind, E. A., & Thibaut, J. (1979). The relation between procedural and distributive justice. Virginia Law Review, 65(8), 1401–1420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, A. (2019). The essence of strategic litigation. In A. Graser & C. Helmrich (Eds.), Strategic Litigation: Begriff und Praxis (pp. 27–30). Baden-Baden: Nomos.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zahariadis, N. (2003). Ambiguity and choice in public policy: Political decision making in modern democracies. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahariadis, N. (2008). Ambiguity and choice in European public policy. Journal of European Public Policy, 15(4), 514–530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zemans, F. K. (1983). Legal mobilization: The neglected role of the law in the political system. American Political Science Review, 77(3), 690–703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of European Studies, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Stefan Thierse

  2. Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Sanja Badanjak

Authors
  1. Stefan Thierse
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sanja Badanjak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan Thierse .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Thierse, S., Badanjak, S. (2021). Legal Mobilization as an Oppositional Strategy: From Individual Activation to Collective Action. In: Opposition in the EU Multi-Level Polity . Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47162-0_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation