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.
3,474 Articles
Why It Does Not Matter Who Rachel Brand Is
Last week, amid speculation that Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein may be forced to recuse himself from the expanding Russia investigation – unless he gets fired first –…
The Making of a Russian Spy: A Roadmap for the FBI to Resolve Russia Gate
James Comey’s testimony has established that either President Donald Trump or the former FBI Director is lying, given the clear discrepancies in their versions of the conversations…
Why There’s No Basis to Think Rod Rosenstein Will Recuse
Some commentators are already speculating what Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand will or should do when she becomes Acting Attorney General for purposes of the Russia investigation…
Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (June 9-June 16)
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…
The Other Person in the Room with Comey and Sessions
During all of the intense debate over the testimony of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, perhaps the most important statement by Sessions has gone largely overlooked. During…
The Evolving Testimony of a Strangely Incurious Attorney General
Parsing the testimony of Attorney General Jeff Sessions regarding a critical conversation that he had with FBI Director James Comey reveals an important evolution in the Attorney…
Highlights of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Hearing
Today’s hearing with Attorney General Jeff Sessions before the Senate Intelligence Committee included the following ten highlights: 1. Sessions refused to answer many questions…
Why Trump Can’t (Lawfully) Fire Mueller
There’s been a great deal of noise from some of the President’s confidants over the past 48 hours suggesting that he might (try to) remove Special Counsel Robert Mueller. …
U.S. Secrecy and Transparency in the Use of Lethal Force
Much of the news in the first few months of the Trump administration has been dominated by the Russia scandal, James Comey, and the President’s Twitter feed. Falling below…
Five (Not-So-Obvious) Questions that Att’y Gen. Jeff Sessions Should be Asked
There are many obvious questions that Senators and reporters should pose to Attorney General Jeff Sessions—such as asking him about his knowledge of the reasons the President…
National Security-Related Congressional Hearings, June 12-16
Monday, June 12 7:00pm – House Committee on Armed Services – The Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of Defense (here)…
Is Att’y Gen. Jeff Sessions About to Commit Perjury?
Following James Comey’s hearing on Capitol Hill, the Department of Justice issued a statement which flatly contradicts something that Comey said in his testimony. It appears…