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Seeking Social Change in the Courts: Tools for Strategic Advocacy

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Seeking Social Change in the Courts: Tools for Strategic Advocacy Seeking Social Change in the Courts Tools for Strategic Advocacy women’s worldwide Methodology Workbook L I N K Seeking Social Change in the Courts Tools for Strategic Advocacy Mónica Roa with Barbara Klugman women’s worldwide Methodology Workbook L I N K The judiciary has the power to permit equality to grow and flourish to meet the legitimate demands and aspirations of ... the world’s population. They also have the power to deny it Kathleen Mahoney Contents Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................... 10 1.1. What Is Social Change for Justice and How Do You Achieve It ................................... 12 Changing Norms, Values, and Behaviors ................................................................ 16 Changing and Implementing Laws and Policies ....................................................... 17 1.2. Considering the Courts as Sites for Social Change ................................................... 18 1.3. Women’s Link Worldwide’s Strategic Approach ........................................................ 21 Mapping ............................................................................................................ 22 Prospective Analysis ............................................................................................ 23 Lateral Thinking ................................................................................................. 23 Chapter 2: Considering Litigation as an Advocacy Tool ........................................... 28 2.1. Public Interest and Strategic Litigation ................................................................... 29 2.2. Understanding the Role of Judges ......................................................................... 31 2.3. Opting for Litigation While Strengthening Democratic Institutions .............................. 35 2.4. Understanding the Potential Value of Judicial Processes and Decisions ........................ 36 Chapter 3: The Four Conditions Test ....................................................................... 42 3.1. Condition One: The Rights Framework ................................................................... 43 3.2. Condition Two: Knowledgeable and Willing Judiciary ................................................ 46 3.3. Condition Three: Legal Advocates with Capacity to Litigate ....................................... 48 3.4. Condition Four: The Support Network .................................................................... 49 Chapter 4: Introduction to Mapping ....................................................................... 52 4.1. Mapping the Legal and Judicial Contexts ................................................................ 55 Mapping Legal Arguments .................................................................................... 56 Mapping the History of the Issue .......................................................................... 57 Mapping Legal Actions and Procedures ................................................................... 58 Mapping Courts and Judges .................................................................................. 59 What do We Want to Know about Judges ............................................................... 61 4.2. Mapping the Political, Social, and Cultural Contexts .................................................. 64 Mapping Actors ................................................................................................... 65 Mapping Public Opinion ........................................................................................ 71 Mapping the Cultural Context ................................................................................ 74 Mapping the Political, Social, and Cultural Calendar .................................................. 76 4.3. Using this Assessment to Determine if Litigation Is a Strategic Option......................... 77 Chapter 5: When Litigation Is Not the Best Strategy .............................................. 82 5.1. Strengthening the Four Conditions ........................................................................ 83 Monitoring ......................................................................................................... 85 Documenting ..................................................................................................... 86 Building Knowledge and Sensitizing ....................................................................... 88 5.2. Remembering the Courts When Advocating Elsewhere ............................................. 92 5.3. When Someone Else Takes the Issue to Court ......................................................... 92 Chapter 6: When Litigation Is a Good Strategy ....................................................... 96 6.1. Framing ............................................................................................................ 97 6.2. The Legal Strategy ............................................................................................ 102 Legal Action ..................................................................................................... 103 Preparing Scenarios .......................................................................................... 105 Amicus Curiae and Public Hearings ...................................................................... 108 Remedies ......................................................................................................... 111 6.3. The Alliance and Social Mobilization Strategy ........................................................ 112 Core Group and Coalition ................................................................................... 114 Leveraging Your Closest Allies ............................................................................. 114 Targeting the Middle Ground ............................................................................... 117 Anticipating Opposition ...................................................................................... 118 6.4. Communications Strategy .................................................................................. 120 Audiences ........................................................................................................ 122 Messages ......................................................................................................... 123 Spokesperson and Expert Voices ......................................................................... 124 Tactics and Channels ......................................................................................... 125 Are You Shaping the Debate? ............................................................................. 127 6.5. Committing to Strategies and Tactics ................................................................... 129 6.6. When the Judgement Comes Down ..................................................................... 132 Chapter 7: A Case Study: Defending Reproductive Rights in Colombia through Strategic Public Interest Litigation .......................................................... 138 7.1. The Problem ..................................................................................................... 139 7.2. The Four Conditions Analysis for Colombia ............................................................ 142 Condition One: The Rights Framework ................................................................. 142 Condition Two: Knowledgeable and Willing Judiciary .............................................. 143 Condition Three: Legal Advocates with Capacity to Litigate ..................................... 143 Condition Four: The Support Network .................................................................. 144 7.3. Designing the Litigation Strategy ........................................................................ 144 Condition Two Fails ............................................................................................ 145 Reframing the Strategy ...................................................................................... 145 7.4. Achieving Our Objective ..................................................................................... 147 Chapter 8: A Final Word ........................................................................................ 152 Boxes Box 1: When Do You Go to the Courts? ....................................................................... 20 Box 2: Bias, Stereotype, Prejudice, and Discrimination .................................................. 33 Box 3: Effects of Judicial Decisions and Processes ......................................................... 37 Box 4: Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights ........................ 44 Box 5: Guiding Questions for Mapping Legal Arguments ................................................ 56 Box 6: Guiding Questions for Mapping Legal History ...................................................... 57 Box 7: Guiding Questions for Mapping Legal Actions and Procedures ............................... 58 Box 8: Guiding Questions for Mapping Judges .............................................................. 59 Box 9: Guiding Questions for Mapping Actors ............................................................... 65 Box 10: Guiding Questions for Mapping Public Opinion .................................................. 71 Box 11: Framing and Agenda Setting .........................................................................
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