The papers in this panel address a number of questions relating to the role of courts as democracy builders. What are the costs and benefits of a court-centred strategy for protecting democracy? Are the circumstances in which a court-centred strategy is likely to be successful rare? What are the challenges for the courts if they are to remain a critical arena for confrontation with populism in situations where populist movements have used the structures of democratic elections to unwind the liberal underpinnings of post-1989 democracies? What is the relationship between the strength of a country’s democracy and the ability of its courts to address deficiencies in the electoral process? Are courts perhaps necessary in systems where there is significant gridlock between political actors on how to advance democracy? Are there courts which have been under-studied in the comparative work done on the role of courts in a democracy (most notably, the courts in post-war Africa)?