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
A plume of dark smoke rises from a building against a blue sky.

Starvation is Starvation is Starvation.

We, as the international community including Israel, should embrace an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to prevent civilians from starving.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a press conference

Visualizing ‘Hush Money’: How Trump’s Complex Payoffs Sparked 34 Election-Related Criminal Charges

Visualizing how Donald Trump's alleged $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels gross up to $420,000 and 34 felony charges in New York.

How Trump Valet’s Testimony Supports DOJ’s January 6th Case

Analysis of recently released testimony by White House valet in interview conducted by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol
The International Court of Justice - a red building white ornate arches and windows - and a tall spire is shown against a cloudy grey sky.

A Legal and Moral Victory for Ukraine: Vindicating Ukraine’s Legal Rights Before the International Court of Justice

Ukraine is countering Russia’s aggression in the courtroom, leading to a pivotal moment for international law.
In this pool photograph distributed by Russia's state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin gives an interview to TV host and Director General of Rossiya Segodnya (RIA Novosti) news agency Dmitry Kiselyov at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 12, 2024. His comments included that Russia was "ready" to use nuclear weapons if it felt necessary, but “there has never been such a need." the scene shows Putin sitting in front of a Russian flag, facing the interviewer, whose back is to the camera. (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Beating Putin’s Game of Nuclear Chicken

The Russian leader regularly threatens to use nuclear weapons to intimidate the US. An effective counter would exploit his fears.

Clearinghouse: 14th Amendment Section 3 Litigation

A collection of court documents and commentary concerning litigation under section 3 of the 14th Amendment on whether former President Trump is disqualified from seeking office…
Former US President Donald Trump speaks to the press

Tranche Warfare: What to Expect at the March 25 Trump Discovery Hearing

Explaining what's at stake when Justice Merchan hears DA Alvin Bragg and Trump's attorneys battle about the tranches of documents recently released by federal prosecutors.

Judge’s Ruling Keeps Trump’s N.Y. Trial Mostly About Election Influence

A Manhattan judge's ruing decided that Trump's criminal trial will mostly be about an alleged attempt to influence an election.
The episode title appears with sound waves behind it.

The Just Security Podcast: Crisis in Haiti

Joining the show to discuss the situation in Haiti and how policymakers addressing it are Rosy Auguste Ducéna and Beatrice Lindstrom.
Migrants are brought into Dover Port in England by Border Force officials after being picked up in the English Channel while trying to make the journey from France in inflatable dinghies on March 4, 2024. One man in a yellow vest is seen carrying a boy. Migrants continue to cross the Channel after a seven-year-old girl died after getting into difficulties in French waters over the previous weekend. Approximately 150 people arrived on March 4, although official figures were to come out the following day. Home Office figures show that more than 2,000 migrants had arrived in the UK thus far this year, with difficult weather conditions the likely cause of the relatively low numbers. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Did Macron and Tusk Just Chart a Path for Liberals Elsewhere on Immigration?

Countries will be better off with measured limits than with far-right demagogues in power or a total capitulation to anti-immigrant rhetoric.
A cherry tree in bloom near the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

The Supreme Court Cannot Ignore the National Security Implications of the So-Called ‘Jawboning’ Case

Former senior DOJ official Mary McCord writes about "the necessity for government officials to be able to communicate freely with social media companies about the abuses of their…
The U.S. Supreme Court building at dawn in Washington, D.C., U.S. Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg

A Conspiracy Theory Goes to the Supreme Court: How Did Murthy v Missouri Get This Far?

Murthy v Missouri may become a landmark case in which the justices are led astray on the basis of a disinformation-laden record.
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