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.
3,157 Articles
The Mysteries of the Trump-Russia Investigation: Known Unknowns
The first in a series of posts that examines the Mueller investigation’s central mysteries.
The White House Latest Move to Undermine Congressional Authority
Lost in the back-and-forth over the Nunes memo, is a new effort to weaken Congressional oversight and misdirect Congress.
Dissecting the Grassley-Graham Letter’s Criticisms of the Carter Page FISA Application
In a recently released letter and accompanying memo, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R- Iowa) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) outline concerns that reinforce…
Trump’s Four-Pronged War on the Administrative State
Among the many things the first year of the Trump presidency has given us is a new genre of op-ed. What might be called the resignation-confessional is headlined with some variation…
Debate, Dispute, Disagree—But Please Don’t Call for Arrest
No sooner had the Nunes Memo been released than the cries began. “Lock every single one of these bastards up,” tweeted former long-time Democratic Congressman John Dingell,…
How Well Did the Nunes Memo Answer the ‘5 Questions’?
Before the House Intelligence Committee released the Nunes memo on Friday, Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent, highlighted five questions that the memo would need to address…
Timeline of Carter Page’s Contacts with Russia [Updated]
At the heart of the recent Nunes memo controversy lies a FISA order application for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. But Page had piqued the interest of FBI investigators…
A Crisis for U.S. Intelligence Alliances—What the Nunes Memo Has Wrought
We’re facing a crisis of intelligence. It’s not because of a dereliction of duty, or a massive counterintelligence breach. It’s because the foundation for sharing intelligence…
Episode 57 of the National Security Law Podcast: About that #Mehmo (Special Edition on the Nunes Memo Release)
President Trump has declassified the Nunes Memo and it now is available to the public. Your hosts–Professor Bobby Chesney and I–give it a deep-dive review here in a special-edition…
The Nunes Memo Misses the Point: Probable Cause
Finally, the forces of #ReleaseTheMemo have won. On Friday, over the public opposition of the FBI, President Donald Trump declassified a document prepared by the staff of House…
A Q&A on the Nunes Memo and Its Implications for the Russia Investigation
With President Donald Trump’s blessing in hand, House Republicans released a memo Friday, spearheaded by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), that accused senior Justice Department officials…
Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (Jan. 2018)
Editors Note: Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of those norms…