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.
3,333 Articles

CTRL+HALT+Defeat: State-Sponsored Surveillance and the Suppression of Dissent
A new lawsuit in Israeli court seeks accountability for the export of malicious spyware used for digital surveillance of human rights defenders, journalists, and political dissidents.…

The Precedent for Impeachment: Nixon, Not Clinton
[Editor’s note: Just Security is publishing a series in conversation with Sidney Blumenthal’s “An Open Memo: Comparison of Clinton Impeachment, Nixon Impeachment and…

An Open Memo: Comparison of Clinton Impeachment, Nixon Impeachment and Trump Pre-Impeachment
Blumenthal writes, "The Clinton example as a predictor should be dispensed with in considering Trump. ... Trump proceeds from a much weaker position than Nixon. He depends entirely…

All the President’s Lawyers: A Chart of Misconduct and Possible Crimes Revealed by Mueller Report
A nine-page Chart closely tracks the Mueller Report’s references to potential wrongdoing by President Trump’s personal lawyers.

Enforcing Congressional Subpoenas: A Modest Proposal
A change in the law that would enhance Congress’s ability to extract information from the executive branch is a heavy lift, particularly in the current climate. With that in…

The Barr-Nadler Subpoena Standoff: Still Room for Accommodation?
In its standoff with the House Judiciary Committee over the Mueller report, the Justice Department’s assertions when it comes to protecting its law enforcement equities, are…

Q&A on House-Justice Dept Showdown Over Release of Unredacted Mueller Report and Contempt of Congress
We asked top expert Andy Wright, who has served in both the White House Counsel's Office and on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Intelligence, Ethics and Bureaucracy: The Duty to Warn Jamal Khashoggi
The Knight First Amendment Institute and the Committee to Protect Journalists have obtained "Duty to Warn" documents that shed new light on what a U.S. intelligence officer would…

Palestinians Claim Violations by Israeli Settlers in Airbnb Case in U.S. Court
In March, two Palestinian-Americans and two Palestinian villages moved to intervene in a suit brought against Airbnb, a global home-rental online platform, in federal court in…

Don’t Get Lured by False Question of Whether Mueller Got “Played” by Barr
"Maneuvering 'around' the Attorney General was not how Mueller saw his job—indeed, it was not his job—and it’s not how we should see it, either."

The Mazars USA Subpoena as an Existential Threat to President Trump
The ‘friendly’ subpoena recently served on the tax and accounting firm Mazars USA seeking client records related to Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization may not have…

Norms Watch: Damage to Democracy and Rule of Law in April 2019
Our latest collection of a month's most significant breaks with democratic traditions highlights threats to investigate the Russia probe investigators and to release migrants as…