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.

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3,152 Articles
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland (C) accompanied from left, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division Matt Olsen, takes a question from a reporter

Shattering Illusions: How Cyber Threat Intelligence Augments Legal Action against Russia’s Influence Operations

Recent U.S. Department of Justice actions against Russia's covert influence operations underscores the efficacy of legal countermeasures founded on actionable cyber threat intelligence.…
Supporters at the Move Forward Party (MFP) headquarters react after Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled that former MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat was to receive a decade-long ban and dissolve his party after challenging royal defamation laws, in Bangkok on August 7, 2024. The Constitutional Court in Bangkok voted on August 7 "unanimously" to dissolve the Move Forward Party and ban its executive board, which includes its former leader Pita Limjaroenrat, for 10 years, judge Punya Udchachon said.

Thailand’s Chance to Send the Right Signal

Will the General Assembly elect Thailand to a seat on the Human Rights Council despite the country's cascading decline in human rights protections and democratic freedoms?
Smoke billows during an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Khiam

Beyond Law: Reaffirming the Centrality of Ethics in War

The unmooring of law from ethics has catalyzed the expansion of violence across the Middle East.
(TOP LEFT) DANBURY, CONNECTICUT - JULY 1: Steve Bannon, the former Donald Trump White House strategist, departs to turn himself in to custody after addressing the media at the Federal Correctional Institution Danbury he is expected to begin his four-month sentence on July 1, 2024 in Danbury, Connecticut. Bannon will be imprisoned for contempt of Congress, his conviction for not complying with issued subpoenas by the now-defunct House Select Committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Bannon attempted to avoid reporting to prison while challenging his conviction before the federal appeals court in Washington, DC but was denied by the Supreme Court. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images); (TOP MIDDLE) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 20: Boris Epshteyn, advisor to former U.S. President Donald Trump, returns to the courtroom after a break during Trump's hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024 in New York City. Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, took the stand again today to finish his cross examination by the defense in the former president's hush money trial. Cohen is the prosecution's final witness in the trial and are expected to rest their case this week. Cohen's $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels is tied to Trump's 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images); (TOP RIGHT) John Eastman speaks at the National Conservative Conference in Washington D.C., Monday, July 8, 2024. (Photo by Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images); (BOTTOM LEFT) A November 19, 2020 photo shows Sidney Powell speaking during a press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC. - US President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis reportedly said that Powell is not a member of the Trump legal team. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images); (BOTTOM MIDDLE) MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - JANUARY 21: Rudy Giuliani speaks to members of the media where Republican candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was scheduled to host a campaign event on January 21, 2024 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Gov. DeSantis has suspended his presidential campaign and is endorsing Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images); (BOTTOM RIGHT) ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 20: Kenneth Chesebro speaks to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee during a hearing where Chesebro accepted a plea deal from the Fulton County District Atorney at the Fulton County Courthouse October 20, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Chesebro was facing seven charges related to his alleged role as the legal architect in using Trump electors in Georgia and other key states to undermine the 2020 elections. (Photo by Alyssa Pointer/Getty Images)

Who’s Who in Jack Smith’s Immunity Brief

A list detailing what is publicly known about the more than 80 people whose names are redacted in the Special Counsel's October 2024 immunity brief.
Several men stand along a street holding signs and wearing black and yellow Proud Boys paraphernalia. The man in the center of the frame wears a black and yellow cap and an American-flag-patterned around his face.

The Threat from Unlawful Private Militias Has Evolved. The Federal Government’s Response Must Evolve Too.

Federal legislation, like the Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act, offers a pathway to disrupt unlawful militia activity while safeguarding constitutional rights.
A wooden gavel appears in front of the flag of Guinea.

15 Years On, Landmark Guinea Trial Delivers on Justice and Shows Path for Future Accountability

The national trial, which began 13 years after the massacre, is a rare example of domestic accountability for former senior officials.
2024 election vote buttons

What the Arizona GOP’s Surprise Reversal in ‘Noncitizen’ Voting Litigation Reveals

The false notion of noncitizens voting in large numbers in federal elections has emerged as a faultline in U.S. politics. While an explosion of new legislation and lawsuits across…
A man holds a long, colorful ballot paper diagonally, from the top left of the screen to the bottom middle, with what looks like a classroom blackboard in the background.

The Essential Role of ‘Civic Space’ in Safeguarding Electoral Integrity: How a Decision in Africa Can Reverberate

The landmark African Union case over an Ethiopian election provides a roadmap for safeguarding democracy in the face of authoritarianism.
A collage of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (L) and Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R) speaking during a hearing on on the recent Supreme court decision in Trump v. United States on September 25, 2024.

A Confusing Rule for the Ages: A Review of the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Presidential Immunity

The Senate Judiciary Committee's presidential immunity hearing showed fault lines in reactions to the Trump v. United States decision.

Summary of DOJ Indictment of Iranian 2024 Election Interference

Editor’s note: Readers may also be interested in David Aaron’s analysis of the indictment. On Friday, the Department of Justice announced charges in another state-sponsored…

Analysis of Remarkable and Unremarkable Aspects of Iranian 2024 Election Interference Indictment 

What's novel and what's routine in the indictment of the three alleged Iranian government operatives.
An individual in an orange vest sits in a field, apparently shooting a video selfie.

The Next Step for USAID’s New Digital Policy: Account for Conflict Risks and Include Peacebuilding

These elements are vital to ensuring that the agency's aid programs related to digital technology address drivers of violent conflict and fragility, and mitigate risks.
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