Garland names special counsel in Hunter Biden investigation 
(NPR) 

Today, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced he was granting special counsel status to the prosecutor in the federal investigation into President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. That means U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware will now have the authority to conduct his investigation in any federal district without day-to-day supervision by the Department of Justice. 

CBS News poll finds after latest Trump indictment, many Americans see implications for democracy. For some, it's personal 
(CBS News) 

A majority of Americans in a new CBS News poll see the ongoing Trump investigations as “defending democracy” and “upholding rule of law.” At the same time, almost a third of Americans think Trump was trying to stay in office through legal, constitutional means. 

A recent WJP blog examined challenges to U.S. rule of law and what Democrats and Republicans have in common. 
 

New Thomas revelations unlikely to result in congressional passage of Supreme Court ethics reform 
(CNN)  

A new report from ProPublica detailing additional luxury gifts that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas received during his tenure has renewed calls to mandate stricter ethics standards for justices. However, congressional action faces hurdles and constitutional critiques.  

The United States ranks 21 out of 140 countries and jurisdictions in the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index on whether officials in the judicial branch use their office for private gain.  

Why Ohio Voters Said No to the Ballot Measure 
(The New York Times)  

On Tuesday, voters in Ohio rejected Issue 1, a measure that would have made it harder for citizens to amend the state’s constitution. While the ballot measure was proposed in response to an abortion rights amendment question slated for the November election, larger concerns about direct democracy were in play.