Democracy & Rule of Law

Democratic Backsliding & Solutions

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The Washington Monument reflects in the Capitol Reflecting Pool at sunset on a warm evening on June 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability

This Anti-Corruption Tracker focuses on the erosion or dismantling of oversight and accountability systems within the United States Executive Branch.

When the President Does It …

Lessons from Nixon's forgotten essay in defense of his infamous remark.
This photograph shows "the International Criminal Court (ICC)" in the background with its logo on a sign in the foreground in The Hague.

New International Criminal Court Sanctions and the Threat to U.S. Democracy

The U.S. sanctions against International Criminal Court judges and officials are a threat to constitutional rights in the United States.

The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power Against Media: Keeping Track of the Big Picture

Tracking the use of State power requires systematically identifying linkages between individual developments and broader trends. This interactive graphic offers one method.
A close-up of U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche standing at a podium and holding a microphone at a press conference on August 12, 2026.

Four Things State and Local Prosecutors Can Do to Combat Federal Corruption

State attorneys general and local district attorneys can take action to uphold the rule of law in the face of unlawful federal actions.

“In Focus” Syllabus Supplements: ICE and CBP Operations in Minnesota and Other States (2025–2026)

This syllabus supplement offers curated articles intended to be combined with traditional casebooks in a law or higher ed classroom.
The Washington Monument reflects in the Capitol Reflecting Pool at sunset on a warm evening on June 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

“When the Guardrails Erode” Series

Bringing together expert analysis that traces this erosion, assesses the risks for democratic governance, and outlines pathways to rebuild or even reinvent these safeguards.
A blue architectural blueprint-style graphic with white grid lines and hand-lettered labels arranged like room names on a floor plan, symbolizing the architecture of institutional reinvention.

Reinvention Blueprint No. 1: A Government That Works for People

Our democratic institutions are under strain, but one thing must be true if any reform is to take hold: government must deliver, and that delivery must be felt by all people.
A blue architectural blueprint-style graphic with white grid lines and hand-lettered labels arranged like room names on a floor plan, symbolizing the architecture of institutional reinvention.

Reinvention Blueprint No. 2: Democracy Works When Government Works

America’s civil service, built for a bygone era, urgently needs bold, comprehensive reform to build a government capable of delivering for the 21st century.
A blue architectural blueprint-style graphic with white grid lines and hand-lettered labels arranged like room names on a floor plan, overlaid with the white text "Just Security's Reinvention Blueprints."

Building Governing Machinery for the Next Pro-Democracy Moment

Domestic policy experts offer principles for reinvention meant to inform the work of policymakers, advocates, and governance rebuilders as they redesign federal institutions.
A tall man in silhouette, dressed in a dark long, straight jacket and flared trousers, stands in a street, his back to the camera, raising his right hand with pointed finger, while in the background people hold red and white Georgian flags and the smoke of flares obscures part of the scene.

The U.S. and the EU Must Wake Up to Threats in Georgia

Georgian Dream is crushing Georgia's civil society, courts, and opposition to entrench one-party rule and Russian influence; only targeted U.S. and EU sanctions can stop it.
The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen at dusk on July 8, 2026 in Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court’s Striking Regression on Partisan Gerrymandering

Lost amidst the discussion of the Supreme Court's Callais decision is its treatment of partisan gerrymandering as a legitimate objective.
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