Democracy & Rule of Law
Rule of Law
941 Articles

One Doctor’s Place in China’s Battle for the COVID-19 Narrative
The Chinese Communist Party’s evolving effort to re-brand Dr. Li as a loyal soldier in their fight against COVID-19 captures the dramatic, unsettled state of the Chinese Communist…

We Badly Need Congress to Act. We Don’t Need Congress to Act in Person.
Remote voting critically helps ensure that Americans are not effectively disenfranchised if and when their representative becomes unable to show up in person.

The Espionage Act Reform Bill Addresses Key Press Concerns
On March 5, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced sorely needed legislation to reform the Espionage Act.

Moral Courage in the Coronavirus: A Guide for Medical Providers and Institutions
Times of crisis generate extreme moral dilemmas: situations we can’t begin to imagine, unthinkable choices emerging between options that all seem bad, each with harms and negative…

The Legally Troubling Treatment of COVID-19 Meetings as Classified
I represented the government until late 2018, and I've got serious concerns, writes former Deputy Director of Appellate Staff of Department of Justice's Civil Division.

Blowing the Transatlantic Whistle
U.S. courts have been reluctant to extend the same protections they afford domestic informants to employees of American companies based abroad.

West Africa’s Democratic Progress is Slipping Away, Even as Region’s Significance Grows
Democratic norms may erode further in 2020, says Freedom House. The fundamental rights of West Africa’s nearly 400 million people are in jeopardy.
![An email from Mark Paoletta on August 12, 2019 reading, “Alternative language. [Redacted] Mike Paoletta General Counsel Office of Management & Budget [Redacted] (office) [Redacted] (cell)”](https://i0.wp.com/www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Screen-Shot-2020-02-10-at-12.03.15-PM.png?fit=1024%2C366&ssl=1)
Exclusive: New Unredacted Emails Show How Deeply OMB Misled Congress on Ukraine
New unredacted emails confirm that OMB, including the general counsel’s office, was fully in the loop about the Pentagon’s Ukraine funding worries, and took active steps to…

The Friday Night Massacre’s Broader Context: Trump’s Redesign for American Democracy
As we discussed with one of the authors of the book, How Democracies Die, the purges fit an ominous path followed by elected autocrats.

How Late DCI William Colby Saved the CIA, and What That Can Teach Us Today
His willingness to tell truth to power and the challenges he faced in overseeing previously unimagined institutional reforms offer important lessons at this momentous juncture…

The 30-Day Clock: Recent Law Requires Trump Admin. to Make Full Public Report on Soleimani and Shahlai Strikes
A classified war powers report won't do it. A formal, public explanation of the facts and legal justifications is legally required thanks to Congress’ having recently passed…

How Should FOIA Be Reformed to Prevent Further Abuse of Redactions?
To ensure the FOIA is not weaponized and used as an instrument of secrecy, Congress should reform the statute to mirror how the deliberative process privilege is treated in the…