The values that underpin American democracy are being tested. As has become increasingly clear, our republic has long relied, not just on formal laws and the Constitution, but also on unwritten rules and norms that constrain the behavior of public officials. These guardrails, often invisible, curb abuses of power.
The Brennan Center houses the National Task Force on Rule of Law and Democracy, a nonpartisan group of former public servants and policy experts who are working to repair and revitalize our democracy. The task force’s first report, published in October 2018, lays out a series of proposals to strengthen government ethics and the rule of law. The second report, published in October 2019, outlines how to curb political interference in government science and fix a broken appointments process.
