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.

× Clear Filters
3,152 Articles
Just Security

The FBI Wants Schools to Spy on Their Students’ Thoughts

Imagine you’re a high school principal. An FBI document lands on your desk. It’s called “Preventing Violent Extremism in Schools,” and it’s alarming. According to the…
Just Security

We Need to Know More About How the Government Censors Its Employees

In December, in a series of editorials published in The Washington Post and Just Security, Jack Goldsmith and Oona Hathaway made the case for reforming the government’s broken…
Just Security

Reminder: You Should Care About Mass Surveillance, Even if You’ve Done Nothing Wrong

This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…
Just Security

UK Government Introduces Revised Investigatory Powers Bill in Parliament

Yesterday, the UK government introduced a revised version of its Investigatory Powers Bill (aka the “snooper’s charter”) to Parliament. The bill seeks to consolidate, for…
Just Security

A Readers’ Guide to the Apple All Writs Act Cases

The last few weeks and months have been awash in media coverage of two cases before magistrate judges involving the federal government seeking to use the All Writs Act to compel…
Just Security

The State Department’s Records and Response Problems Are Not New, They’re Systemic

The State Department’s records management, FOIA compliance, and oversight responsiveness have endured withering scrutiny in court and on Capitol Hill since disclosure of Hillary…
Just Security

Torture and Transparency in the Military Commissions

America’s war court is back in session at Guantánamo, with yet more pretrial proceedings in the case of the five 9/11 defendants (alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,…
Just Security

Apple vs. FBI: “Just This Once”?

I wrote about the FBI’s attempt to force Apple to write an iPhone hacking tool for the bureau over at Time last week — and go read that if you’re getting caught up on the…
Just Security

Building Civil Liberties Protections Into the EU’s Latest Border Discussions

European officials are renewing efforts to secure their borders in the wake of last November’s Paris attack. At the end of last month, EU Interior Ministers met to solidify cooperation…
Just Security

Justice Scalia, Privacy, and Where We Go From Here

When you work in privacy and civil liberties, you get accustomed to having strange bedfellows. Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic socialist presidential candidate from Vermont,…
Just Security

FBI’s Push to “Fix a Typo” Would Really Expand Its Surveillance Authority

At last week’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Worldwide Threats, FBI Director James Comey reiterated his call for a major expansion of the FBI’s surveillance authorities,…
Just Security

Law Enforcement Online: Innovative Doesn’t Mean Illegal

Even the Wild West needed a sheriff. And today’s law enforcement agents, to be effective, need more than a Colt .45 and a gold star. Criminal actors have an increasing ability…
1-12 of 3,152 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: