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We examine how connections shaped transitional justice during France’s post-WWII democratic transition. Parliamentarians who had supported the Vichy regime faced a two-stage purge process involving two courts. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that Law graduates – an influential group with ties to one of the courts – had a 10 to 14 percentage point higher acquittal rate. We analyze 17,589 documents in individual defendants’ files to explain this difference. According to this analysis, indirect connections – connections through third parties – enabled transmission of information to the judges, highlighting how connected elite groups can navigate transitions despite institutional safeguards.
