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.
3,471 Articles
How Greenland’s Relationship with Denmark Exposes the Shortcomings of Being a “U.S. Territory”
The relationship between the U.S. and its island territories should concern anyone who believes in the “consent of the governed” and the idea of “all created equal."
The Trump Administration’s Deregulatory Playbook
A deep dive into the Trump administration’s first-year deregulatory agenda, Supreme Court influences, and the evolving limits of agency authority.
Just Security’s Climate Archive
A catalog of articles analyzing the diplomatic, political, legal, security, and humanitarian consequences of the international climate crisis.
The Top 10 Questions the Trump Administration Needs to Answer About Minnesota
These are questions that the Trump administration has not answered, and journalists and members of Congress could – and should – pose.
The Smearing of Alex Pretti and NSPM-7
"The smearing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good is not simply a rhetorical tactic. It is part of a larger operation."
What a Proper Investigation of Alex Pretti’s Killing Would Look Like
On Saturday morning shortly after 9am local time, U.S. Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old I.C.U. nurse, on the streets of Minneapolis. The facts are…
The White House’s New Fraud Section: Key Questions
The plan for a new DOJ fraud division, reportedly run from the White House, raises major legal and policy questions about executive power and DOJ independence.
Emerging Evidence Provides Basis for Opening Investigation of ICE Agent Who Killed Renee Good
The Justice Department’s refusal to investigate ICE Agent Jonathan Ross’s killing of Renee Good breaks with decades of DOJ civil-rights practice and standards.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Let Not Arrogance Be Our Doom
With humility and our collective morals and values, we must extinguish the flames of hubris in US foreign and domestic policy, or "our arrogance will be our doom."
The New Civil Rights “Backstop”: How DAs and AGs Can and Must Investigate ICE Abuses
The new role for state and local law enforcement authorities in prosecuting criminal violations of Americans' civil rights.
Who Will Stand Up for Human Rights in 2026 – and How?
The deterioration in human rights in 2025 heightens the risks for defenders going forward, all worsened by donors' deep funding cuts, especially those of the United States.
War Powers, Venezuela, Drug Boats, and Congress
The last year of unauthorized military interventions and the president’s threats should spur Congress to reassert its constitutional prerogatives over the use of force.