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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3,112 Articles
Emil Bove, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, is sworn in before testifying during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on June 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. A whistleblower alleged that Bove, President Trump's former personal lawyer, told Justice Department staff to defy court orders and continue to carry out Trump’s deportation plans. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Whistleblower Documents Implicate Emil Bove in Criminal Contempt Order by Chief Judge Boasberg

Email released by whistleblower would presumably implicate Bove in the “contumacious conduct” identified by Chief Judge Boasberg.
Gavel and scales with a US flag in the background as symbols of a jurisdiction.

Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

A public resource tracking all the legal challenges to the Trump administration's executive orders and actions.
Taliban security personnel keep watch after the Eid al-Adha prayers at a checkpoint in Kabul on June 7, 2025. (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

The Taliban’s Slow Dismantling of Afghan Media

The slow death of Afghan media is a tragedy not just for the many brave Afghan journalists, but for the country as a whole.
Binders of executive orders stacked on a desk.

Collection: Just Security’s Coverage of Trump Administration Executive Actions

Coverage of key developments, including in concise “What Just Happened” expert explainers, legal and policy analysis, and more. Check back frequently for updates.
Demonstrators hold up “Birthright Citizenship” sign outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2025. (Photo by ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Hanging “Like a Guillotine”: Trump v. CASA and the Risk of Statelessness

For the first time in modern history, children born on American soil may be rendered stateless. The risk to non-citizen children is real and urgent.
A color drawing of Daniel Webster arguing before the Supreme Court.

Will to Resist: What Dartmouth Teaches Harvard About Protecting American Freedom

"One of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions arose from the courageous resolve of the Dartmouth College trustees to resist the unlawful encroachments..."
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - JUNE 26: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine turns to watch a video of a bombing test of the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) used in the attack on the Iranian Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant during a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on June 26, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. The Department of Defense top officials gave an update after three Iranian nuclear facilities were struck by the U.S. military last weekend and Iran countered by launching missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The U.S. Attack on Iran Was Unconstitutional

Trump’s strike on Iran violated constitutional limits on the president's unilateral power to take the nation to war—an authority the Framers reserved for Congress.

The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power Against Media: Keeping Track of the Big Picture

Tracking the use of State power requires systematically identifying linkages between individual developments and broader trends. This graphic offers one method.
A photo taken on April 25, 2024 shows a television transmission of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

Autocracy, Corruption, and Decline: Why Hungary and Orbanism Must Never be a Model for the U.S.

Adopting Orban's model would reshape the U.S. into a country that shares Hungary's weakened checks and balances, corruption, and stumbling economy.
Scales of justice and judge's gavel on wooden table against American flag

Nondelegation and Major Questions Doctrines Can Constrain Power Grabs by Presidents of Both Parties

Enforcing the nondelegation and major questions doctrines can help curb the danger posed by sweeping authority concentrated in a president of either party.
People walk by a photo of commanders killed by Israel

From War to Control: How the Recent Iran-Israel Conflict Risks Deepening the Islamic Republic’s Repression

The ceasefire may stop the bombs, but it will not reverse the repression that has long defined Islamic Republic’s internal trajectory.
Soldiers from the 143rd Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Brigade, California National Guard, serving under Title 10 status, establish a security perimeter in Mecca, Calif., June 18, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Chase Murray)

Trump’s Use of Federal Troops in Drug Raid Outside of Los Angeles: An Alarming Escalation

"An alarming escalation of the president's efforts to use the military as a domestic police force. Based on currently available information, it appears to be illegal, as well"
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