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
Executive Privilege and the Public Interest: Why the President Can’t Block Release of the Mueller Report
For more than a year, President Donald Trump’s lawyers have bragged about his “unprecedented” level of cooperation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation,…
Civilian Control of the Military During an Age of Trump and “Administrative Coups”
Since President Donald Trump’s election, concerns about the health of civilian control of the military and civil-military relations have garnered considerable media attention.…
Trump Declassifying Page, Ohr Records Will Have Broader Effects
President Donald Trump plans to declassify documents as early as this week about the FBI’s surveillance of campaign advisor Carter Page pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance…
Rudy’s Red Herring: Mueller’s Final Report and Executive Privilege
"It’s time to focus on where the real threat to Mueller’s report reaching the public may arise. The assertion of executive privilege is not it."
Trump’s Disrespect for the Rule of Law Spreads
Trump's disrespect for the rule of law has spread and is now poised to threaten the president himself.
In Defense of NYT’s Anonymous: Government “Stewardship” as a Guard Against Threats to Democratic Order
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” – The Federalist…
Norms Watch: Damage to Democracy and Rule of Law in August 2018
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 in reactions…
Judge Kavanaugh’s Testimony on His Constitutional View of Presidential Immunity is Misleading—and It Also Clinches the Case for Recusal
It could not now be clearer that as a result of his writings and public statements, Judge Kavanaugh cannot meet his own stated test of “open-mindedness.”
A Call to Former Intelligence Community Employees Who Are Subject to a Prepublication Review Requirement
Millions of former public servants who once had access to classified information—and many who didn’t—are subject to a requirement of prepublication review. They are generally…
Response to Reader Questions on Manafort Pardon
Editor’s note: Last week, Alex and Ryan wrote a Op-ed in the New York Times and an accompanying piece at Just Security dissecting the strategy and implications of President…
How Trump’s Pressure on Google Threatens Government Manipulation of Search Results
Tech behemoths just can’t catch a break these days. Just as they are struggling to meet calls to contain the spread of misinformation and hate speech online, they are being bashed…
Security Clearance Records, FOIA, and Privacy: What Went Wrong for Abigail Spanberger
How did an unredacted copy of a security clearance application for a former CIA officer-turned Democratic candidate land in the hands of a GOP super PAC?