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
Elbert P. Tuttle Courthouse - US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

United States v. Nixon at Fifty: Why Judge Cannon Is Wrong About the Attorney General’s Authority to Select a Special Counsel

An in-depth legal analysis on the fate of Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of former President Donald Trump in the classified documents case and beyond.
Ibadoghlu stands in a room with media members, white bookshelves sit in the background.

Azerbaijan’s Aliyev Extends Arbitrary Detentions Even as He Prepares to Host Global Climate Conference COP29

Gubad Ibadoghlu's case represents a trend of falsely imprisoning human rights defenders that casts a shadow on a premier annual gathering.

Robert Menendez Guilty: The Significance of the First ‘Foreign Agent’ Conviction of a U.S. Senator

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) racked up 16 felony convictions on Tuesday, delivering a fatal blow to his three-decade long career in the U.S. Congress. Menendez signaled that…
Members of the House (Select) Intelligence Committee listen during a hearing at the Cannon Office Building on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. Leaders from the U.S. intelligence community are participating in hearings with both the Senate and House intelligence committees to lay out their perceived global threats to the United States.

Time for U.S. Intelligence to Ask: How Did We Alienate so Many Americans?

"Two years before the next round of debate over Section 702, an earlier, deeper, and more wide-ranging conversation needs to take place between the intelligence and civil liberties…
The U.S. Supreme Court building at dawn in Washington, D.C., U.S. Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg

Three Flaws in the Supreme Court’s Decision on Presidential Criminal Immunity

Three major flaws in the Trump v. United States majority opinion derive from the Court’s failure to examine and differentiate the source and scope of presidential power -- whether…

How ‘Economic Security’ is Re-shaping Presidential Power

Linking of “foreign commerce” to “economic security” has dangerously blurred authority that Congress has delegated to the executive branch.
The Alto Lee Adams Sr. United States Courthouse is shown. It is while building with palm trees in front and a blue sky in the background.

Judge Cannon Finds Special Counsel Unconstitutional in Trump Classified Documents Case: What’s Next for Jack Smith?

Judge Aileen Cannon found that Attorney General Merrick Garland had no power to appoint Jack Smith as a special counsel, dismissing the case.
NATO leaders are seated at desks in a large circle with additional desk seating behind them for other attendees, all under a large lighted disk above them and the number 75 in large figures behind them to mark the alliance's 75th anniversary.

After the NATO Summit, Allies Need to Step Up Their Game on Ukraine, Russia, and China

The Alliance made significant progress in some areas, but has lots of work to do going forward to meet the challenges on its doorstep.
The episode title appears with sound waves behind it.

The Just Security Podcast NATO’s Washington Summit: Russia’s War on Ukraine Tests Alliance

Joining the show to discuss this year’s NATO summit and unpack its implications is Ambassador Daniel Fried. 

The Undesirable Journey of Vladimir Kara-Murza: Challenging Russia’s Repression

His case and the cause of freedom he pursues highlight the need for greater efforts by Russian civil society and the international community.
The city of Aleppo with smoke rising in the background.

War and What We Make of the Law

Compliance with international humanitarian law must be about fulfilling its humanitarian purpose, not skirting its limits.
Two faces stare at each other against a black background. On the left, the face is the side profile of a human woman. On the right, the face is formed out of computer circuits.

Beyond AI Safety Narratives: How to Craft Tech-Agnostic and Neo-Luddite Futures

It is essential to take a tech-agnostic and neo-Luddite approach to challenge the power accumulated by the architects of AI.
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