Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy

The Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy initiative brings together America’s leading constitutional scholars and thought leaders of diverse perspectives to identify reforms that could preserve the institutional guardrails on which democracy depends. The Center has commissioned three teams—conservative, libertarian, and progressive—to identify potential reforms that could address current threats to American democracy and strengthen its institutional guardrails. Team conservative is comprised of Sarah Isgur of The Dispatch; Jonah Goldberg of The Dispatch, and David French of The Dispatch. Team libertarian includes Clark Neily of Cato Institute, Ilya Somin of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, and Walter Olson of Cato Institute. Team progressive is Edward B. Foley of The Ohio State University and Franita Tolson of USC Gould School of Law.

This project is made possible with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and Mike and Jackie Bezos.

Leading up to the completion of the reports, the National Constitution Center has partnered with organizations including the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, With Honor, and others to convene a range of thought leaders in a series of public programs and podcasts examining these important topics.

• Election 2022: Are We Ready? (Video)
• Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy: Report Launch (Podcast & Video)
• How to Prevent Another January 6 (Podcast)
• Election Integrity and Voting Rights: Should We Rewrite the Rules? (Podcast & Video)
• Does the Presidency Need Reform? (Podcast & Video)
• For Debate: Should More Power Be Returned to the People? (Podcast | Video)
• The State of Congress Today (Podcast | Video)
• The State of Voting Rights Today (Podcast | Video)
• Compromise and the Constitution in a Polarized America (Podcast | Video)
• Renewing the Republic: How to Restore the Guardrails of Democracy (Podcast | Video)
• Mobs in America’s Past and Present (Podcast)
• The Past Four Years: What Have We Learned (Podcast | Video)

• Edward Foley, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "Three Points of Agreement on Democracy Protection"
• Walter Olson, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "Guardrails of Democracy, Extended: Comparing Notes On The Team Libertarian Report"
• David French, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "An Upgrade, not a Rebuild"
• Edward Foley, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "Three Reforms to Protect Democracy from Election Denialism"
• Ilya Somin, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "Team Libertarian Report from National Constitution Center 'Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy' Project Now Available on SSRN"
• Ilya Somin, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "More on the National Constitution Center 'Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy' Project"
• Ilya Somin, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "National Constitution Center Releases Reports on 'Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy'"
• Ilya Somin, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "Volokh Conspiracy Symposium on the National Constitution Center's 'Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy' Project"
• Walter Olson, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy: A Libertarian View"
• Lana Ulrich, The Volokh Conspiracy blog, "The National Constitution Center's 'Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy' Initiative"
• National Constitution Center, "National Constitution Center Announces ‘Guardrails of Democracy’ Report"
• Clark Neily, Walter Olson, Ilya Somin, "Team Libertarian Report: Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy" (Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4156387)