John Kennedy (left) and Ted Cruz are among the dozen Republican senators planning to contest the certification of electoral votes.
Democracy or Trump? Republicans face a career-defining vote.
Republicans in Congress, the preferred voices of almost exactly half of a riven nation, have only 48 hours until they must make one of the most consequential choices of a fractious time — between upholding constitutional democracy or declaring the American electoral system a sham.
The Constitution will almost certainly survive, no matter how many vote Wednesday to overturn the presidential election. But the already fragile faith of the people in their republic will remain under unprecedented assault, commanded by a sitting president and fueled by the dozens of senators and House members who decide to prioritize the potential political risk from crossing him over their sworn fealty to the rule of law.
Long after the special session of Congress to count the electoral votes is over, with the lawful and decisive election of Joe Biden finalized once GOP senators and House members cast their lots for history, no other aspect of American democracy's dysfunction will matter nearly as much.
- The top 6 reasons why democracy's guardrails held after the election ›
- Tiny traction for Trump's latest tactic in combating results - The Fulcrum ›
- The Electoral College process is like Chutes and Ladders - The ... ›
- Trump presses Pence to break the rules, upend the election - The Fulcrum ›
The newest justice, Amy Coneey Barrett, joined a Supreme Court that is inherently undemocratic, writes Scofield.
New year, time for new thinking about the undemocratic nature of the high court
Scofield has a doctorate in comparative constitutional law and teaches government at Blinn College in Texas.
- Congress has plenty to fix, but not the Supreme Court - The Fulcrum ›
- Will Chief Justice Roberts act to save democracy? - The Fulcrum ›
- Judges have no role in evaluating partisan gerrymandering ... ›
- Democrats, experts call on Supreme Court to let some sunshine in ... ›
- It's time to end life tenure at the Supreme Court - The Fulcrum ›
The Supreme Court will hear a census case Monday.
A democracy designed for a diverse country faces its latest test
Smith is the vice president for litigation and strategy at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit focused on bolstering voting rights and curbing money's influence on politics.
- Legal, legislative fight brewing over Trump's census order - The ... ›
- Supreme Court sounds receptive to a census citizenship query - The ... ›
- Supreme Court blocks citizenship question, at least for now - The ... ›
- Why the Supreme Court asked for an explanation of the 2020 ... ›
- Supreme Court OKs plan to not count undocumented immigrants - The Fulcrum ›
George Washington wanted to use Thanksgiving as a way to hold the new country together in the face of forces that he knew could pull it apart, writes Valsania.
How the first presidentially proclaimed Thanksgiving was the Twitter of its time
Valsania, a professor of American history at the University of Turin, is writing a biography of George Washington.
- Democracy reform groups tie their cause to racial protests - The ... ›
- Americans much more unified because of the virus, poll finds - The ... ›
- 4 principles to guide us past our Covid crisis divisions - The Fulcrum ›