Our Democracy is in Danger
Our democracy is facing threats we haven’t seen in generations. Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting attacks, from at home and abroad, on our right to free, fair, and fully informed self-government. Together, armed with our Constitution and the rule of law, we can fight back and protect our democracy from those who would do it harm.
Learn more about Protecting Independent Law Enforcement
Learn more about PEN America v Trump
Taking on the Threat
As Americans, we have strong tools rooted in our Constitution and system of checks and balances to prevent our democracy from declining into a more authoritarian form of government. With experience upholding the guardrails of democracy in the American government, and working with experts who study the rise and fall of democracies around the world, we’ve identified key areas of risk that need our immediate attention.
Help Protect Democracy
We're in this together.
History has shown that the best way to protect democracy is by standing united in its defense. Your contribution will help us to scale up our efforts to educate, advocate, organize, and litigate on behalf of the values we all hold dear.
“Actually, Protect Democracy is pro-rule-of-law. If in your mind that’s anti-Trump, that says a lot. ”
“These folks are worth their weight in gold. ”
“Democracies sometimes collapse suddenly. More typically, they waste away. One major cause of institutional decline involves politicians putting their own immediate interests ahead of their obligations to democratic norms. We wake up one day and discover that a long series of individual choices has rotted out the constraints on authoritarian rule. ”
“If there has ever been a clarion call for vigilance and action against a threat to the very foundation of our democratic political system, this episode is it. ”
“If a president can command the military and the civil service to break the law, there’s nothing to stop him from arresting his critics or falsifying an election. Even a president who has been democratically elected would then be in danger of overriding the will of the people once he falls out of favor. ”
“Elected authoritarians, as their popularity dwindles and their political allies leave them, often look weak and cornered. Some mistake this as a sign that extra vigilance is no longer warranted. But sometimes, this is precisely when elected authoritarians are most dangerous. ”
“We will put the problem more bluntly. Mr. Trump's suggestion that his Attorney General prosecute his defeated opponent is the kind of crude political retribution one expects in Erdogan's Turkey or Duterte's Philippines. ”
“Something to watch out for going forward would be overt and high-profile efforts to politicize prosecutions and investigations. Official attacks on specific media, such as the slander directed at the New York Times’s Bret Stephens, are also a concerning trend. I would pay attention to public opinion on democracy and toleration of political difference, which has been slipping on both sides of the aisle. ”
Latest Updates
Protect Democracy applauds bipartisan call from 2020 candidates to limit presidential power
Protect Democracy applauds bipartisan call from 2020 candidates to limit presidential power. “From Warren to Walsh, there is overwhelming agreement: it’s time for Congress to impose guardrails on the increasingly imperial presidency.”
Protect Democracy Supports Reporter Brian Karem in Lawsuit Against White House over First Amendment Violations
Today, on behalf of PEN America, Protect Democracy filed an amicus brief in federal district court in support of journalist Brian Karem. Mr. Karem has sued President Trump and the White House Press Secretary for revoking the “hard pass” that permits him access to White House grounds in…
Protect Democracy Launches EndTheEmergency.org
Today, Protect Democracy launched EndTheEmergency.org, a website dedicated to the stories of communities affected by President Trump’s illegal national emergency declaration to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Protect Democracy represents El Paso County, Texas, and the Border Network for Human Rights in a lawsuit contesting the legality and…