Document Type

Blog Post

Publication Date

5-3-2021

Abstract

The status of democracy once seemed irrelevant in discussions of government in the United States and other long-established democracies. However, with the rise of extreme partisan polarization and the contempt that each party shows for the other, maintaining constitutional democracy is now a major concern for people in America. There is no longer any ideological overlap between the most conservative Democrats and the most liberal Republicans. In the words of Professor Daryl J. Levinson and Professor Richard H. Pildes of NYU School of Law, the “separation of powers” has been replaced by a “separation of parties.” The actions of the Trump administration have only added fuel to the fire, with the former President popularizing the term “fake news” to berate the media, tip toeing the line of violating the right to freedom of the press. Added with the recent attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol, people have been uneasy about the status of a true democratic government. While a democracy-ending emergency has not happened in America, Trump’s repeated attacks on the media, the judiciary, and Congress have left Americans concerned about a constitutional crisis. The future of constitutional democracy is also at serious risk in many other parts of the world.

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