The Ghostwriters: Lawyers and the Politics behind the Judicial Construction of Europe

The European Union is often depicted as a cradle of judicial activism and a polity built by courts. In a keynote address based on his award-winning book, The Ghostwriters, Dr Tommaso Pavone shows how this judge-centric narrative conceals a crucial arena for political action. He argues that, beneath the radar, European integration unfolded as a struggle between judges who resisted European law and lawyers who pushed them to embrace change.

About the Speaker:

Dr Tommaso Pavone is Assistant Professor of European Politics at the University of Toronto and Visiting Researcher at the ARENA Centre for European Studies at the University of Oslo. His research traces how interactions between lawyers, courts, and policymakers impact political development, social change, and the rule of law in Europe. He received his PhD in 2019 from Princeton University.