Authoritarianism and weakened justice systems are eroding rule of law in the United States and around the world. However, some jurisdictions are bucking these trends. 

At the National Judicial College symposium in Boston, World Justice Project Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen shared lessons learned with U.S. legal leaders.  

“Leadership matters,” she said. “We speak about the rule of law in terms of laws, institutions, and norms, but of course it is individuals who take decisions that breathe life into the rule of law and make it real.”  

Texas immigration law blocked again, just hours after Supreme Court allowed state to arrest migrants 

On Tuesday, former President Trump filed a brief with the Supreme Court, asserting that any former president should have “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution and claiming that his prosecution is politically motivated.  

Trump is facing a litany of felony charges, including those related to allegations of election interference, hush money, and mishandling of classified documents.  

On overall rule of law, the United States ranks 26 out of 142 countries and jurisdictions in the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index.
 

Drawing on the 14th amendment, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a New Mexico county commissioner cannot return to office because he was convicted of trespassing on the Capitol grounds during the January 6 insurrection. 

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was originally included in the Constitution to prevent former Confederates from taking office again after the Civil War.  

The Court’s decision opens the door for January 6 participants to be barred from holding state and local office. However, there is no standard enforcement of Section 3 across states. The Supreme Court also recently declined to apply Section 3 to former President Trump, concluding that states cannot remove candidates for federal office from the ballot on 14th amendment grounds. 

The United States ranks 35 out of 142 countries and jurisdictions on whether government officials are sanctioned for misconduct in the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index.