The Yale Law Journal

Democratic Legitimacy

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Democracy’s Distrust: The Supreme Court’s Anti-Voter Decisions as a Threat to Democracy

Gilda R. Daniels

“Democracy’s Distrust” explores how the Supreme Court has eroded voting rights and weakened democracy. It argues that the Court prioritizes candidates and legislatures over voters, fostering public distrust. The Essay examines historical and contemporary cases, highlighting the need for legislative …

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On the Perpetuation of Our Constitution and Civic Charity

Thomas B. Griffith

We live in perilous times, where acrimony and contempt poison our republic. But as others have long recognized—from Washington to Lincoln to current observers—there is an antidote: civic charity. It has helped heal our nation in some of our most difficult times; it can do so again.

 

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“Safety, in a Republican Sense”:
Trump v. United States, Democracy, and an Antisubordination Theory of the Criminal Law

Jacob Abolafia

Democratic governance requires holding the powerful to account. This Essay therefore proposes a broad antisubordination theory of the criminal law which grapples directly with disparities in power, rather than obscuring them under the guise of formal equality. Neither formal equality nor its alterna…