Democracy

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An election observer coordinator for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder stands on a walkway overlooking the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center in City of Industry, California, as workers process ballots during the June 2026 California state primary election.

The Last Check: Magistrate Judges and Federal Seizures of Election Records

A magistrate judge's review of a search-warrant application may be the last meaningful safeguard against federal interference in an election.
People attend a Trans Day of Visibility rally in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2025.

The Collateral Damage of Anti-Trans Policymaking

From healthcare bans to funding cuts, the consequences of hate-driven policymaking opposing transgender rights ripple broadly across communities.
A bronze sign marks the visitors' entrance to the U.S. Trade Representative's office on August 18, 2024, in Washington, DC.

The Cynicism Behind the Administration’s Proposed Forced Labor Tariffs

The labor issues the U.S. Trade Representative claims to investigate are real problems. They should not become pretexts for tariffs the administration already wants.

Making Syria’s Transitional Justice Process Meaningful for Survivors and Communities

One of the central questions facing Syria is whether its emerging justice system can earn the trust of those in whose name it is being built.
Senegalese peacekeepers of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) patrol near Carnot on May 28, 2026.

US-Central African Republic Deportation Agreement Escalates Attack on Immigrants and Puts Lives at Risk

Congress should demand transparency and require the U.S. government to publicly release third-country deportation agreements, including with the Central African Republic. 
A close-up of arms raised and linked, hands clasped, a few donning bracelets or small tattoos, on activists wearing colorful clothing.

Protecting Environmental Rights Defenders Is Key to Giving Communities a Voice

Environmental human rights defenders must be empowered to design and implement their own forms of collective protection to shift the power imbalance.
Members of the National Guard patrol around the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC.

A Year Later: The Stakes of Ordering Military Personnel to Police American Streets

One year since Trump sent the National Guard to LA, a new report warns military deployments for domestic policing produce escalation, disillusionment, and politicization.
Then-U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen sits at the center of a row of U.S. officials on the left of the image, across the table from Zambian President Hichilema, also flanked by other Zambian officials. At the far end of the flower-decked table, in the background, is a large white sign on the wall saying U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Washington D.C. 2022.

The Lessons of Zambia’s RightsCon Cancellation for International Democracy Promotion

The once-lauded Zambian president's nixing of a major digital rights conference shows the risks of lionizing individual leaders without a backup plan.
A bronze statuette of Lady Justice, depicted with a blindfold and holding the scales of justice in her outstretched hand.

Sanctions Gaps and the Governance of Corruption Risk

U.S. foreign policy expert examines how overlapping U.N., U.S., and EU sanctions regimes create legal gray zones and why that breeds corruption risk.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen at dusk on May 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Bang, Bang, Bang: Callais Kills Off the Voting Rights Act

To the extent that the Voting Rights Act served as at least a minimal constraint on political gerrymandering, that constraint is gone.
Bill Pulte, then Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2026.

The Acting DNI and the Intelligence Office Trump Wants

Bill Pulte’s appointment as Acting Director of National Intelligence suggests that ODNI may now be serving a more political function than advising the president.
A picture of U.S. President Donald Trump hangs from the U.S. Department of Justice building May 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

What Congress Should Do About the President’s Sweetheart Deal in Trump v. IRS

Tax law experts offer three actions that Congress must take to fully unwind the Trump administration’s settlement and hold its architects accountable.
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