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
Story Dershowitz

Justice Joseph Story on “High Crimes and Misdemeanors”—The Antithesis to Dershowitz

Ambassador David Scheffer compares what one of the greatest American jurists said about the Impeachment Clause to what Professor Dershowitz claims.
Trump (C) leaves with Chief of Staff John Kelly (L) and National Security Advisor John Bolton (R) after holding a press conference ahead of his early departure from the G7 Summit on June 9, 2018 in La Malbaie, Canada.

Executive Privilege Cannot Block Bolton’s Testimony

All relevant judicial precedents make clear that Bolton should not be able to invoke executive privilege to avoid testifying in the Senate impeachment trial.
Salmon Chase and John Roberts

How Chief Justice Chase in Johnson Impeachment Decided on Witnesses

There's a path for Chief Justice Roberts to weigh in on calling witnesses and on executive privilege.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone speaks during impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol on January 25, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Impeachment Trial and Legal Ethics: Cipollone Should Be a Witness, Not a Trump Lawyer

Top legal ethics expert, Stephen Gillers, raises an issue hiding in plain site.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) arrive to the Senate chamber for impeachment proceedings at the U.S. Capitol on January 16, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Hearsay and the Impeachment Trial

How big an issue is it that the Senate will allow hearsay objections as a basis to exclude evidence from the record?
Jay Sekulow, personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, and Pat Cipollone, White House counsel, wait for an elevator as they arrive at the U.S. Capitol on January 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. Jay Sekulow grins widely.

Constitutional Crabgrass: President Trump’s Defenders Distort the Impeachment Clause

Leading scholar on history of impeachment pens a scathing critique of Dershowitz argument. Calls it "brazenly wrong."
Trump arrives at the White House on January 22, 2020 in Washington, DC.

What Sort of “Abuse of Power” Would Amount to an Impeachable Offense?

Philip Bobbitt writes that the Ukraine allegations amount to an impeachable abuse of power, but not the way some have framed it.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies about the Inspector General's report on alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 11, 2019.

Pumping the Brakes a Bit on FISA “Reform”

Critics of FISA on both the left and the right are seizing on the DOJ inspector general's report as an opportunity to significantly alter FISA.
Cracks in cement

Four Fundamental Flaws in President Trump’s Impeachment Trial Memo

Leading impeachment law scholar pens a scathing critique of President Trump’s Trial Memo sent to senators on Monday.
A collage of photos of Les Parnas meeting with various people in the Trump administration, including, Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Kellyanne Conway, Pence, and more.

15 Questions the Media Should Be Asking Lev Parnas

A list of specific questions reporters (and perhaps members of Congress, if the time comes) should be asking Lev Parnas.
Trump and Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney listen to comments during a luncheon with representatives of the United Nations Security Council, in the Cabinet Room at the White House on December 5, 2019 in Washington, DC.

GAO Decided Trump’s Hold on Ukraine Funding Was Illegal and It Wasn’t a Tough Call

In addition to the larger implications GAO's decision has for the Senate impeachment trial, a close reading of yesterday's report provides some important new insights.
Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies September 30, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Executive Privilege Is No Bar to John Bolton’s Testimony in the Senate

President Donald Trump’s impeachment team reportedly believes that executive privilege poses “significant and important” issues that could prevent former National Security…
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