"Legal coercion" refers to the use of laws or legal authority to force or pressure someone to comply with specific actions or rules. It means using the power of the law to make someone do something they may not want to do. Full definition
«While there is [certainly] too much violence and legal coercion used against scholars worldwide,... the primary threat is isolation. (sciencemag.org)
In order to maintain control of the school board and avoid legal coercion, Shaw (who was also part of Columbus's business elite) wanted to protect the economic and social life of Columbus. (debsedstudies.org)