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
Did Russian Trolls Have Company?: New Evidence on Israel-based PSY-Group’s Possible Social Media Efforts in 2016 US Election
Much ink has been spilled on the role of the Russia-backed Internet Research Agency’s engaging in disinformation tactics to help the Trump campaign. The intelligence firm and…
Trump Might Be Surprised to Learn: Justice “Spy” Tactics Used on Dem Politicians Too
During the Obama administration, the Justice Department routinely used “spy” tactics to investigate Democratic campaigns and politicians.
France’s Creeping Terrorism Laws Restricting Free Speech
French prosecutors have been aggressively pursuing anyone who speaks positively of a terrorist act or group even if their intention is not to incite violence or promote the group.
Reading the Mueller Tea Leaves During a Confusing Week
There were stories this week that seemed to suggest Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the election may be winding…
A Cosmic Legal Collision: The Engineer vs. The Border Patrol
For a quarter of a century, Terry Bressi, staff member and chief engineer for the Spacewatch Project at the University of Arizona’s Lunar & Planetary Lab, has had two…
Cohen’s Slush Fund is Not Business as Usual—But Business as Usual Needs to Change
President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, sold his access to the president to multinational corporations, including one reportedly controlled by a Russian oligarch,…
Trump’s Subpoena Gamble: Fighting It Could Open Door to Indictment
If President Trump litigates the question whether the special counsel can subpoena him, the courts may ending up also saying a sitting president can be indicted.
Trump’s Escalating Assault on the Justice Department: Time to Review Dershowitz’s Defense of Unreviewable Presidential Control of Federal Law Enforcement
President Trump has taken a dramatic turn in his push against the Justice Department. His approach his built on a theory that Alan Dershowitz defends on television. But when Dershowitz…
Getting to the Bottom of the Trump Tower Meeting
What the new documents tell us about some of the basic questions surrounding the fateful meeting.
Dispelling the NYT’s “The Daily” Podcast’s Misconceptions about Mueller’s Options
Professor Goodman explodes four common myths about Mueller's options if the special counsel finds the President engaged in criminal activity. Some avenues are closed or risky,…
Letter to the Editor: The Twenty-Fifth Amendment Reader’s Guide
Harold Koh and the Yale Law School Rule of Law Clinic should be proud of their work. Released on April 18, the Clinic’s “Reader’s Guide” to Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth…
Contempt of Congress, Contempt by Congress
The latest sideshow stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian collusion is Congressmen Devin Nunes’s (R-Calif.) and Mark Meadows’s (R-N.C.)…