Constitutional Accountability Center Constitutional Accountability Center

Rule of Law

Holding the courts and political branches accountable to the text and history of the Constitution and federal statutes
i
President Obama addressing Joint Session of Congress | Lawrence Jackson, White House Archives

Summary

The Constitution and its Amendments, as well as numerous federal statutes, guarantee rights for all in America, define responsibilities for government officials, and mark the boundary between the federal and state governments. CAC works to hold those in power accountable to the commands of our Constitution and laws in these areas.

Rule of Law in Brief

Oral Arguments at the Florida Supreme Court | Jeanie 0146, Wikimedia Commons

President Trump’s failure to respect the clear text of the Constitution, as well as its cherished norms and values — including his violations of the Emoluments Clauses — is an attack on the rule of law. CAC works to ensure that no public official is above the law.

Featured Case

Rule of Law September 30, 2021

Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP (Mazars II)

Since 2019, when the House Committee on Oversight and Reform heard testimony that President Trump may have failed to disclose certain financial holdings, the Committee has been considering new legislation that would, among other things, require financial disclosures from the president, require presidents to divest from financial holdings to prevent conflicts-of-interest, and regulate the tracking of presidential emoluments. To facilitate its investigation into whether such legislation is necessary and how best to draft it, the Committee subpoenaed President Trump’s accounting firm, once in 2019 and again in 2021, for financial records that would aid the investigation. Trump objected that the...

Case Timeline

Current
  • CAC files amicus brief in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Related Issue Areas

Federal Courts and Nominations See More
Access to Justice See More