Dr. Raul A. Sanchez Urribari

Visiting Fellow, Chair of Human Rights (Alexander von Humboldt Professorship)

r.sanchezu@latrobe.edu.au

Raul Sanchez Urribarri is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Legal Studies at La Trobe University (Melbourne, Australia), and an incoming Visiting Fellow as Director of the Judicial Transitions Project at Stanford Law
School’s Neukom Center for the Rule of Law (2026-2027). In early 2027, he will join Western Sydney University as Professor of Law.

Previously, he was based at La Trobe University’s School of Social Sciences (2011-2026) and was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Tulane University (2008—2011).

Raul studied Law at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello (Caracas, Venezuela), and a Masters of Laws (LLM) at Cambridge University. He received a PhD in Political Science from the University of South Carolina.

He has held visiting appointments at the American Bar Foundation (Chicago); University of California (Berkeley); University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen); GIGA (University of Hamburg); and CIDE (Mexico City).

Books

  • Informality and Courts , edited With Bjoern Dressel (ANU) and Alex Stroh (Bayreuth), Edinburgh University Press, 2024.
  •  Judicial Activism and Restraint in Comparative Perspective , edited with Lori Hausegger (Boise State University). This is the first book in a new series titled ‘Global Perspectives on Judicial Politics’ led by Lori Hausegger, Rich Pacelle (University of Tennessee) and I as series editors. Lausanne: Peter Lang Publishing, 2024.

 

Journal Articles

  • “Venezuela’s Extractive Constitutionalism: Between a Nationalized and Privatized Petro-State”, with Antulio Rosales, Third World Quarterly: 1-20, 2026.
  • “The Dark Side of Legalism: Abuse of the Law and Democratic Erosion in Latin America”, with Benjamin Garcia Holgado, American Behavioral Scientist 68(12): 1578–1596, 2024.
  • “Political Survival and… Authoritarian Consolidation? The Maduro Government and Venezuela’s Political Crisis”, with John Polga-Hecimovich, Pensamiento Propio 58: 17-49, 2024.
  • “The Relationship between Court-Packing and Democratic Erosion: Lessons from Argentina and Venezuela”, with Benjamín García-Holgado,  Global Constitutionalism 12(2): 350-377, 2023.

Book Chapters

  • “Courts and Constitutions in an Evolving Autocracy.” With David Landau,  In Constitutional Democracy in Crisis?, Mark A. Graber, Sanford Levinson, and Mark Tushnet, eds., 2d ed., Oxford University Press, 2027 (forthcoming).
  • “Part VII – Countries:  Venezuela”, With Jessica Velásquez,  in Elgar Encyclopedia of Latin American Politics. Ed. By Claudia Avellaneda, Natalie Mendez and Ricardo Bello, 2026.
  •  “Venezuela’s (Un)Rule of Law under Nicolás Maduro”, With Victoria Capriles, in Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis, edited with John Polga-Hecimovich. Routledge, 1-20, 2025.
  • “Conceptual Framework: Assessing Authoritarian Consolidation in Venezuela.”, with John Polga-Hecimovich, in Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis, edited with John Polga-Hecimovich, Routledge, 100-119, 2025.
  •  “Evaluating Authoritarian Consolidation in Venezuela.”, with John Polga-Hecimovich, in Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis, edited with John Polga-Hecimovich, Routledge, 299-312, 2025.

  • Book manuscript: The Rule of Law in Venezuela: Legal Institutions in Autocracy. With Daniela Urosa (Boston College) and Carlos Garcia Soto (Universidad Monteavila). Hart Publishing, Rule of Law in Context Series (ed. by Gabrielle Appleby and Lorne Neudorf)
  • Article manuscript: “Authoritarian Resilience under Maximum Pressure: Venezuela in 2025.” With John Polga-Hecimovich (US Naval Academy). Under Review.  Revista de Ciencia Politica (Q1)
  • Article manuscript: “Constitutional Norms and Democratic Erosion: Latin America”
  • Book chapter: “Informality and Judicial Appointments” with Mishella Romo (Princeton)
  • Book chapter: “The Evisceration of Academic Freedom in Venezuela”