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.
3,168 Articles
Could the White House Invoke Executive Privilege to Block Comey Testimony?
The White House confirmed Friday that it is reviewing whether to invoke executive privilege to prevent former FBI Director James Comey from testifying before the Senate Intelligence…
Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (May 26-June 2)
Editor’s 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…
Campaign Finance Law: When “Collusion” with a Foreign Government Becomes a Crime
Commentary on Russian intervention in the 2016 elections has included one confidently expressed and perhaps growing view: that there may be a scandal there, but no conceivable…
The 21st Century Public Square: Protecting Online Comments from Manipulation and Disruption
Americans are angry, with our governance and with each other. The political divide seems a great chasm. Citizens with divergent political views gravitate to different media sources,…
Pence’s Troubling Advice: Follow the Chain of Command “Without Exception”
After thinking about Vice President Mike Pence’s remarks last Friday at the United States Naval Academy’s commencement, I found one part of his speech particularly alarming:…
Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (May 19-26)
Editor’s 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…
Q & A With Citizen Lab on “Tainted Leaks” and Russia’s Disinformation Campaign
On Thursday, the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab published evidence of a dangerous new twist in the war against truth. Russia-linked hackers, dubbed CyberBerkut, have…
Glowing Orbs and Glimmers of Hope: Trump’s baby steps to countering violent extremism
The most iconic photo of President Trump’s first foreign trip may end up being the one that mushroomed into an internet meme last weekend — the American leader, huddled…
Russia and a Divided United States: What Comes After Trump?
While the United States, along with its Western allies, became preoccupied with post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, global counterterrorism operations, and the aftermath of…
Can Flynn Assert a Fifth Amendment Privilege to Withhold Documents?
The news that retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor and campaign aide, has refused to comply with a Senate Intelligence Committee subpoena…
The Drip, Drip of Obstruction News
The news yesterday that Donald Trump asked the Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats, and the director of the National Security Agency, Adm. Michael Rogers, to publicly…
Trump’s Disclosure Did Not Break the Law
Since the Washington Post revealed that President Trump had provided “classified” information to Russian diplomats, there have been three rounds of reactions. The first comments…