Each year in late June, we impatiently wait for the Supreme Court to hand down decisions on cases with names like Dobbs, Citizens United, and even Trump v. The United States. The nine members of the nation’s highest court preside at the top of a pyramid that includes hundreds of federal appellate and district courts, with judges appointed for essentially life terms. Their decisions have an impact on nearly everything about modern American life from business to the environment to redefining American institutions themselves. In this episode, host Katie Dunn Tenpas explores the changing role courts and judges play in democracy with experts Russell Wheeler and Benjamin Wittes.

Episode transcript and show notes.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

How do we build trust in elections? There have been widespread election fraud claims after the past two presidential elections despite little to no evidence. In 2022, the Pew Research Center found a party gap in terms of trust in elections. By a significant margin, Democratic voters tended to think that elections “will be administered well,” in the upcoming election. And overall, since 2018, Democrats and Republicans express less trust in elections, a troubling finding, since faith in elections is vital to American democracy. In this episode, host Katie Dunn Tenpas discusses ways to build trust in elections with scholars E.J. Dionne and Elaine Kamarck.

Episode transcript and show notes.

Democracy in Decline is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Is democracy in decline? In this first episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas explores an issue that is on the minds of many citizens and scholars alike. We’ve all witnessed numerous assaults on our democracy, Tenpas notes, including mis- and disinformation campaigns, wide ranging skepticism about election outcomes, extreme gerrymandering, and concerns about ballot access. Any one of these issues should cause democracy alarm bells to ring. But taken together, these developments point to actual erosion of democratic norms and values.

Episode transcript and show notes.

Democracy in Decline is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.