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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3,471 Articles
The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, is seen from the air on February 8, 2025, in Washington, DC.

How to Choose Which Military Members to Hold Accountable for Illegal Boat Strikes

A retired judge advocate explains how a future administration could decide who to prosecute for the illegal strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth seated in the Oval Office of the White House.

Why It’s Wrong to Involuntarily Mobilize Reserve JAGs for Immigration Cases

Federal law specifies that involuntary mobilization is to be used only to provide military forces for war or national emergencies.
Colombia's president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, vice president-elect Jose Manuel Restrepo, and National Electoral Council members stand with hands over hearts during the national anthem at a certification ceremony in Bogotá, with a screen showing archival footage behind them.

After Colombia’s Presidential Election, What Next on Climate and Human Rights?

Although too early to tell whether campaign promises will translate into policy, de la Espriella’s platform on climate and human rights marks a departure from the Petro administration.
The sun sets behind the U.S. Capitol Building on July 8, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Justice Gorsuch’s Slaughter Opinion is a Direct Threat to Congress

In light of recent Supreme Court rulings, Congress should act now to assert the full extent of its authority over the federal bureaucracy.
Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche walks through a Senate office building hallway on Capitol Hill, surrounded by staff.

To Audition for the Role of Attorney General, Blanche Is Prosecuting to Please

Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche's prosecutions of Comey and others reveal a pattern of prosecutorial sycophancy — charges brought to please Trump.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stands before an American Flag backdrop.

The Dangers of Florida’s New “Terrorist” Designations

Anyone who cares about the First Amendment should be concerned about HB 1471 and the spread of state-level terrorism designation laws.

What does the Trump Administration Statement on Dismantling the ICC Really Mean?

International law experts respond to the Trump administration's campaign to "dismantle" the International Criminal Court.
A woman in a long skirt and headscarf rests her hand on a white gravestone among rows of memorial headstones at a Potocari cemetery, Srebrenica, under a partly cloudy sky.

Revived Islamophobic Narratives Pose Renewed Danger as Bosnia Commemorates the Srebrenica Genocide

Bosnian Serb leader denies the mass killings, rapes, and ethnic cleansing of Bosniaks while reviving racist, anti-Muslim narratives that preceded the atrocities.
The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen on July 1, 2026 in Washington, DC.

“Lost to History”: Uses and Abuses of the Past in Slaughter and Cook

In these two cases, the Court misread history with an unmistakable result: two fundamentally irreconcilable decisions.
Then-EAC Commissioners (left to right): Commissioner Thomas Hicks, Commissioner Christy McCormick, Commissioner Benjamin Hovland, and Former Commissioner Donald Palmer (Image source: EAC)

What is the Election Assistance Commission With No Commissioners?

An expert backgrounder on the implications of President Trump's removal of all members of the bipartisan commission.
A giant gray rectangular warehouse-like building, with some green-roof areas, is ringed by internal roads and flanked on the left by smaller accessory buildings, all surrounded on at least three sides by forest.

It Takes More Than Two to Tango: Creating Effective Export Controls on Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment

The U.S. needs to lead a new export control regime -- coordinating with its partners and allies -- to constrain China’s ability to produce advanced and foundational chips.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks over to Marine One after landing at Morristown Airport in Air Force One on June 5, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey. President Trump is spending the weekend at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster after holding an event at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Breaking the Cycle: Transitional Justice in America After Trump

A post-Trump America must finally turn transitional justice tools inward and reckon with failures it has long refused to face if it aims to repair, not simply ignore.
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