Democracy & Rule of Law
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895 Articles
The President’s Pardons Paradox: Granting Them Could Aid the Prosecution
It emerged late last week that President Trump has reportedly queried his lawyers regarding the nature and scope of his authority to pardon individuals including himself. Over…
If “Love” Knows No Bounds: On Criminal “Intent” and the Scope of Campaign Finance Law
If the Trump campaign solicited support from Russians in the race against Hillary Clinton, did it, or any of its staff, have the mental state required for prosecution under federal…
Q&A on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Decision to Subpoena Manafort
On Monday night, the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to compel Paul Manafort, the former chairman of the Trump presidential campaign, to testify at a…
President Trump’s Unsurprising Endorsement of Illegal Solicitation–His 2016 Campaign Repeatedly Violated Ban on Soliciting Foreign Donations
It’s not surprising that President Donald Trump believes that “most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don Jr. attended in order to get info on an opponent”…
How the Prospect of Indictment Could Impact the President’s Decision Making
Over the weekend, the New York Times revealed that former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr concluded that it was “proper, constitutional, and legal for a federal grand…
Can Jared Kushner Be Impeached?
Overhanging Jared Kushner when he testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Monday is the threat of criminal prosecution – for alleged past behavior and for perjury…
Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (July 14-July 21)
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of…
When This Part is Over–America Post the Russia Investigation
At some point, Special Counsel Robert Mueller will complete his investigation. He could bring criminal charges, name other co-conspirators, comment on possible grounds for impeachment,…
Three Ways Trump’s NYT Interview Worsens Team Trump’s Legal Troubles
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump gave an interview with the New York Times that is astonishing in its bombast and disrespect for the competence of people who serve the administration.…
More Details on Trump, Russia, and the Mysterious Magnitsky Connection
As reported Monday by Rob Berschinski and Adam Nagy, the Magnitsky Act is back in the news in connection with media reporting on the June 2016 meeting between Russian lawyer Natalia…
Possible Presidential Pardon Scenarios
[Update] On Thursday, news outlets reported that President Donald Trump has been consulting with his lawyers about granting pardons in the Russia investigation, including a potential…
Kaveladze’s Writings: Called Media Coverage of Major Russian Crime Syndicate an “Ethnic Witch Hunt”
It is now widely reported that that Irakly “Ike” Kaveladze, the so-called eighth-person in the Trump campaign meeting with Russians on June 9, 2016, played a key role in…