Democracy & Rule of Law

Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis on threats and challenges to democracy and the rule of law in the United States and globally. Coverage includes analysis of the separation of powers, good governance, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism, judicial independence, freedom of the press and association, and accountability for rule of law violations.

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3,183 Articles
An empty bench before the start of the Senate Intelligence Committee's hearing where FBI Director James Comey will testify on June 8, 2017 in Washington, D.C.

Public Document Clearinghouse: Ukraine Impeachment Trial

Just Security has compiled and curated all publicly available documents in Congress’s impeachment inquiry concerning President Donald Trump in connection with Ukraine. This collection…
US Department of Justice building at night.

The Soul of the Justice Department: Who Must Stand Up For It Now

A powerful essay by Lisa Monaco, who served in the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama Justice Departments before serving as Assistant to the President for Homeland Security.
Carl Voss, Des Moines City Councilman and a precinct chair, returns to his car after he unsuccessfully attempted to drop off a caucus results packet from Precinct 55 at the Iowa Democratic Party headquarters February 4, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. He is surrounded by reporters.

The Simple Lessons from a Complicated Iowa Caucus

There's a role for everyone in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of election results -- states, Congress and the public.
Razor wire lines in front of the US flag at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Guantanamo’s Ugly Taint on U.S. Diplomacy

Watching the Guantanamo proceedings from behind the courtroom's safety glass brings to mind a different prison, halfway around the world, in Egypt.
Two girls sit in a north Tehran coffee shop using Facebook on a laptop and looking at a mobile phone on October 13, 2013.

Instagram Content Removals in Iran Highlight Questions Over Facebook’s New Oversight Board

Facebook’s recent release of the bylaws for its new Oversight Board, which will be charged with reviewing takedown decisions by Facebook and Instagram, came on the heels of reports…
An email from Mark Paoletta on August 12, 2019 reading, “Alternative language. [Redacted] Mike Paoletta General Counsel Office of Management & Budget [Redacted] (office) [Redacted] (cell)”

Exclusive: New Unredacted Emails Show How Deeply OMB Misled Congress on Ukraine

New unredacted emails confirm that OMB, including the general counsel’s office, was fully in the loop about the Pentagon’s Ukraine funding worries, and took active steps to…
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, National Security Council Director for European Affairs, testifies before the House Intelligence Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill November 19, 2019 in Washington, DC.

The Friday Night Massacre’s Broader Context: Trump’s Redesign for American Democracy

As we discussed with one of the authors of the book, How Democracies Die, the purges fit an ominous path followed by elected autocrats.
Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) displays an inaccurate Tweet telling voters to cast ballots with text messages while she questions witnesses from Google, Facebook and Twitter during a Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill October 31, 2017 in Washington, DC.

As Election Primaries Approach, Red Flags Signal Voter Suppression Risks

Voter suppression tactics are as old as American democracy. But new technology has catapulted this threat to the next level, arming foreign governments and domestic disinformation…
In this screengrab taken from a Senate Television webcast, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) talks about how his faith guided his deliberations on the articles of impeachment during impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol on February 5, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Reading Between the Votes: 53 Senators Say Trump Guilty on the Facts

"Remember this: A bipartisan majority found that the factual allegations for Trump’s impeachment were proven."
FBI Building in Miami, Florida.

Deciphering the FISC’s Order on the Carter Page FISA Application

What will the Justice Department do in response to what it's learned about the FBI’s flawed application to wiretap Carter Page?
AG Barr looks at Trump

William Barr: A Failed Attorney General Unfit to Serve

William Barr has repeatedly abused his office as attorney general to provide personal and political protection for President Donald Trump at the expense of the integrity and credibility…
Mitch McConnell on Senate Floor

The Most Serious Obstruction of All: The Vote to Block Witnesses and the Public’s Right to Know

What makes the Republican leadership’s actions particularly galling is that they wrapped their rush to acquittal in the cloak of “letting American voters decide.” That was…
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