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.
3,182 Articles

White House Counsel Sends Fiona Hill Letter on “Executive Privilege” on Eve of Public Hearing
On Thursday, Deputy White House Counsel Michael M. Purpura sent a letter to Fiona Hill’s attorney setting out the administration’s views of executive privilege. The letter…

Trump and GOP Call to ID Whistleblower Exposes Glaring Gaps in Protections
There are punishments for disclosing a whistleblower's identity in such a case. But the entire system is a patchwork of laws that needs to be rethought.

Will Gordon Sondland Finally Come Clean When He Testifies?
All eyes will be on the U.S. ambassador to the European Union when he testifies in front of the House impeachment inquiry tomorrow.

Evaluating Facebook’s New Oversight Board for Content Moderation
Facebook recently released more details about its Oversight Board, publishing a governing charter in September that describes how the board will review the company’s decisions…

Chart: Side-by-Side Comparison of Kurt Volker’s vs Other Witnesses’ Testimony in Impeachment Inquiry
It appears that Ambassador Volker lied to Congress in violation of federal law for denying knowledge or involvement in President Trump and Giuliani’s efforts to press Ukraine…

Trump Repudiates a Century of U.S. Policy
The United States has consistently held that it was in our national security interest to ensure that only peaceful means were used to alter political boundaries in Europe. The…

Nearly 20 Years Later: It’s Time to Reset Our Approach to Countering Terrorism
With the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi another terrorist leader has been taken off the battlefield, but while a notable military and intelligence success, the threat posed by the…

Highlights of Taylor-Kent Hearing and Connections to Other Witnesses
Key takeaways from the first day of public hearings in the House impeachment inquiry, with crucial insights from top experts on Ukraine, congressional oversight, and rule of law.

A Who’s Who of Ukraine Witnesses
A guide to all of the witnesses who have either testified or have been requested to testify in the impeachment inquiry.

Top DoD Lawyer Stresses U.S. Compliance with the Rule of Law in Military Operations
On September 3, 2019, Paul Ney, the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), delivered the Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law at Vanderbilt Law…

Interpol Proves Critics Right in Choosing Turkey to Host General Assembly
Allowing Turkey to host the general assembly could be used by Interpol as an opportunity to rein in despotic regimes abusing the Red Notice system for political gain. Unfortunately,…

Duty to Warn: Has the Trump Administration Learned from the Khashoggi Failure?
This attitude shift alone, if it has indeed taken place, is commendable, but should not reduce scrutiny of what happened in the Declan Walsh case.