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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3,335 Articles
Two people sit at a desk with clipboards and a pen. One person holds a phone. Small photographs of people are overlaid and semi-translucent to represent social media.

A “Twitter Chat” About COVID-19: Ethical Dilemmas in a Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting ethical issues for everyday citizens and healthcare workers. The public health has become more important than ever. Information is changing,…
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The Legally Troubling Treatment of COVID-19 Meetings as Classified

I represented the government until late 2018, and I've got serious concerns, writes former Deputy Director of Appellate Staff of Department of Justice's Civil Division.

Blowing the Transatlantic Whistle

U.S. courts have been reluctant to extend the same protections they afford domestic informants to employees of American companies based abroad.
National Guard troops stand by as people wait to be tested for COVID-19 at New York state’s first drive through COVID-19 mobile testing center at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, New York on March 13, 2020. The ground is wet and the sky is overcast. Reflections of the troops and testing tents can be seen in the water on the ground.

The Coronavirus, Emergency Powers, and the Military: What You Need to Know

The global coronavirus crisis continues to unfold at lightning speed, disrupting travel, the economy, and everyday life. In response to the pandemic, President Donald Trump declared…
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) listens during a Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing, with U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin, on the proposed budget estimates and justification for FY2020 for the Treasury Department at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Sen. Van Hollen Calls for Paoletta to Relinquish Role as OMB’s Top Ethics Official

Mark Paoletta, the general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), needs to recuse himself from ongoing inquiries into the Trump administration’s withholding of…
A passenger has his temperature checked at Changsha railway station in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province on March 10, 2020. Everyone wears face masks.

Pandemics and Human Rights

Some governments use a crisis as a pretext to infringe rights. Others retain over-broad emergency powers after the crisis subsides.
Side by side photographs of Jared Kushner meeting with Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, 666 Fifth Ave, and bank notes reading Qatar Central Bank.

Timeline on Jared Kushner, Qatar, 666 Fifth Avenue, and White House Policy

A comprehensive account of Jared Kushner, 666 Fifth Avenue, and White House support for the blockade of Qatar after the Qataris rejected Kushner Companies.
People cross a burning street in Cadjehoun on May 1, 2019. Protestors in Benin set up burning barricades on the streets on May 1, as soldiers encircled the home of ex-president Thomas Boni Yayi after he led calls for an election boycott. Hours after initial results showed a record low turnout in Sunday's controversial parliamentary polls, soldiers in tanks were posted on the main roads leading to Boni Yayi's home in the economic capital Cotonou.

West Africa’s Democratic Progress is Slipping Away, Even as Region’s Significance Grows

Democratic norms may erode further in 2020, says Freedom House. The fundamental rights of West Africa’s nearly 400 million people are in jeopardy.

Why the 2020 Election Will Be A Mess Part II: Beyond Russian Disinformation

As anger in the U.S. grows, the threat of political violence also builds, providing the Russian government another opportunity to divide the country.
FBI Building in Miami, Florida.

About Those FBI Counterterrorism Assessments …

Will a recent inspector general report encourage the FBI to be more, not less, aggressive in the use of Type III assessments in counterterrorism cases without adequate constitutional…

A Model for Countering Foreign Disinformation and Interference in Elections

There’s a model the U.S. government applied in the counterterrorism context that provides a potential template for addressing the election interference threat over the long run.

Facebook Bylaws for Takedown Oversight Board: Questions of Independence

The board should select and decide cases without interference. But trustees and the company retain authority on issues underpinning its independence.
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