Professor Gorazd Kušej (1907–1985) laid the foundations of Slovene legal the-
ory and legal terminology through
decades of academic
work at the Faculty
of Law (University of Ljubljana). Belonging to the first
generations of students
at the newly founded faculty, Kušej quickly
began his academic
ascent. He was an active
faculty member in the Kingdom
of Yugoslavia, during the Second World War and in socialist Yugoslavia: he witnessed several profound
social and po- litical transformations which undoubtedly impacted his academic
opus. Not only was he a
distinguished professor that taught generations of future law- yers, he was also an important
member of international academic community
and an influential constitutional lawyer. This
article takes a closer look at his
biography and the lasting influence of his work. Furthermore, the article en-
gages with his dedication to democracy and its entanglement within historical
context. To illustrate this, the article
reviews his publications regarding demo- cratic ideal written in diverse ideological settings: withering liberal
democracy, fascist occupation and socialism.
Keywords:
Gorazd Kušej, legal theory,
democracy, ideology, Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana.