The appointment raises questions about institutional neutrality and public trust.
Articles on Checks and balances
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Congress has played an important role in holding federal agencies accountable since the late 1700s, but oversight can also devolve into a political circus.
Juries now decide only a tiny share of civil and criminal trials in the US – and that hurts democracy.
Democracy is fragile. As a federal election approaches in Canada, it’s important to know the warning signs of extremism and anti-democratic practices that are now routine in the U.S.
Power is increasingly being wielded by Trump and his executive branch, which the lawmakers in Congress are either compliant or powerless.
When the US Constitution was written, many people − from those who wrote the document to those on the outside who read it − believed that endowing the president with kinglike powers was dangerous.
All presidents should expect to be sued early and often by state attorneys general of the opposite party.
Donald Trump claims that Article 2 of the Constitution gives him the right ‘to do whatever I want as President.’ A constitutional law scholar says ‘Not so.’
The problem goes beyond the political leanings of judges to the speed of change and the administration’s apparent willingness to ignore court rulings it dislikes.
Many of Trump’s executive orders mirror plans laid out in Project 2025, a conservative policy plan developed in part by the Heritage Foundation.
The Greens have called for the government to intervene and tell the RBA to cut interest rates. Such a step would undermine central bank independence.
Some fascists claim that democracy and fascism have the same goal – to give effect to the will of the people. But who the people are is where the ideologies divide.
Parliament’s failure to live up to its constitutional mandate was noted by the State Capture Commission as having enabled former president Zuma’s regime to corrupt state behaviour with ease.
A partisan election system, attacks on election administration and widespread disinformation place the U.S. democracy in a precarious position.
Despite their pretensions to support reforms, it is clear that successive governments are not interested in the reform.
In Kenya’s parliamentary system, lack of a clear party majority makes it hard for a president to deliver on election promises.
There is more support for democracy among African people than is often recognised. Yet this can be undermined by election rigging and is lower in countries like Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa.
Angola needs a mixed electoral system. This would promote accountability through the direct election of representatives from constituencies.
When presidents have tried to address pressing issues through executive action, members of Congress are quick to ask the courts to step in.
Investigations of the 9/11 attacks show that a short, unstable transition between two presidents can weaken US security. Trump’s sweeping staff changes compound the risk, experts say.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology; Institute for Humane Studies
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Vice Chancellor, University of Birmingham
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Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa, University of Cape Town
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Assistant Professor of Government, American University School of Public Affairs
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Research Affiliate in Legal and Political Philosophy, University of California, Davis
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Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham
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Associate Professor of Law, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
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Director of Security Studies and Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, UMass Lowell
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NRF/British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow under the SA-UK Bilateral Chair in Political Theory, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor and Co-Director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, Arizona State University
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Head of Department, Public and Environmental Law Department, University of Limpopo
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Departnent of Social Sciences, Pwani University
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Professor Emeritus of Public Law, University of Cape Town
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Teaching Assistant, University of Aberdeen