This panel analyses the impact of populist regimes in recent liberal democracies and compares this to the constitutionalist struggle in illiberal or authoritarian states. Global democratic regression has almost become a buzzword in view of the rise of right wing populism, characterised by nationalism, xenophobia, and aggression towards ‘others‘. Populist or anti-pluralist movements claim to represent the true ‘will of people‘, often invoking essentialist identity discourses and exploiting security-related fears. They challenge the constitutional orders of recent and older democracies, cast doubt on viability of liberal democracy in those states, and diminish hopes that authoritarian regimes will adopt more features of liberal constitutionalism. Illiberal states have become more vocal about promoting the alleged superiority of their own systems. Will ‘rule of law‘ be abandoned in favour of ‘rule by law‘? How should public law respond to these developments, nationally and globally?