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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3,161 Articles
Side-by-side portraits of Secretary Mark Esper, Department of Defense General Counsel Paul Ney and General Mark Milley.

Revisiting General Counsel Ney’s Speech in Light of New Pentagon Leadership

Former Department of Defense official (OSD) Luke Hartig critiques General Counsel Paul Ney's recent speech on the framework governing US military operations.
U.S. Border Patrol agents search a vehicle that was sent to secondary inspection at a highway checkpoint on August 1, 2018 in West Enfield, Maine.

Congress Tackles the “100-Mile” Border Zone for Federal Checkpoints

A long-festering issue affecting the entire U.S. border on the north, south, east, and west is finally getting congressional attention: the so-called “100-mile border zone”…
Nati Rom, the founder of Israel's Lev Haolam organization which is active against the Palestnian-led boycott movement, walks next to an Airbnb apartment located in the Esh Kodesh outpost near the Jewish settlemtn of Shilo in the occupied West Bank on November 20, 2018.

Airbnb’s Listings in Disputed Territories: A Tortured Compromise

Under the terms of two recent court settlements, Airbnb will continue to offer rentals in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. That reversal raises potentially…
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“Virtual Iowa Caucuses” Demand Cybersecurity Attention: 2020 Election Security Can’t Wait Till 2020

The past week featured stark reminders of the importance of election security as the 2020 presidential election swiftly approaches. First, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller…
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and fellow Democratic members of the committee (L-R) Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Rep. Val Butler Demings (D-FL), Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX) hold a news conference about this week's testimony of former special counsel Robert Mueller July 26, 2019 in Washington, DC.

How Congress Can Access the Legal Powers of Impeachment Without a Formal Inquiry

"It is safe to say the House is already well within the zone of its impeachment powers and may exercise the necessary and proper authorities that come with that power to investigate…

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s Troubling Conclusions About US Election Infrastructure

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) released its first of several bipartisan reports about its own investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference on Thursday.…
People walk on a sidewalk on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border barrier on January 25, 2019 in San Diego, California.

Democratic Debates Round 2: Time to Ask About America’s Courts

When the Democratic U.S. presidential candidates face off in Detroit for their second debates July 30-31, they or the moderators should raise what will be one of the most pressing…
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller arrives to testify before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference, on Capitol Hill, July 24, 2019 in Washington.

Mueller Moments You Might Have Missed

You might not have caught all of these more substantive, significant, and revealing moments on Wednesday, but they were there, tucked away in between the many times Special Counsel…
Facebook is displayed on a laptop screen.

EU Court of Justice Grapples with U.S. Surveillance in Schrems II

Earlier this month, the Court of Justice of the European Union heard argument in Schrems II, a case that could limit companies’ ability to transfer data into the United States…
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in for his testimony before the House Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 24, 2019.

Top Law and Intelligence Experts’ Views on Mueller Hearings

To help make sense of the day’s hearings, we turned to Just Security’s editors and contributors for their thoughts. 
ederal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller is sworn in during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee June 13, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Unsealed Documents in Special Counsel Mueller’s Investigation [Updated]

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has prosecuted the Russia investigation by bringing charges against a number of former Trump campaign officials and their associates, and against…
A copy of the Mueller Report opened to page 166 and 167. Significant portions of the text are redacted.

Just Security’s Post-Mueller Report Coverage

A roundup of our analysis since the Mueller Report's release almost exactly four months ago to the date.
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