Legal Assignment

Newspapers frequently feature stories on how various democratic principles and processes contribute to democratic governance and impact a wide variety of issues, ranging from the distribution of flu vaccines to the appropriate legal venue for terrorist trials. Public policies that are formulated to address such issues come about as the result of the influence and application of various democratic principles and processes. In addition, competing interests and factions engage in the democratic process using tools such as lobbying or elections in an effort to leverage public policy. As you think about democratic principles and processes for this Assignment, take note of where you see their influence in recent public policy issues.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review the article "War v. Justice: Terrorism Cases, Enemy Combatants, and Political Justice in U.S. Courts" in this week's Learning Resources. Take note of key democratic principles explained. Consider how the democratic principles in the article might influence public policy.
• Review the articles "Strategic Lobbying: Demonstrating How Legislative Context Affects Interest Groups' Lobbying Tactics" and "The Study of Party Factions as Competitive Political Organizations" in this week's Learning Resources.
• Think about the democratic processes used by lobbying groups and political factions to influence public policy.
• Select a public policy issue related to your specialization or to an area with which you are familiar.
• Select three democratic principles and/or processes that you think might influence the formulation of public policy related to your issue.
• Reflect on how these principles and processes of democracy influence the formulation of the public policy you selected.

The Assignment (2-3 pages):

• Briefly describe the public policy issue you selected for this Assignment.
• Using three democratic principles and/or processes of your choice, explain how you think these democratic principles and/or processes influence the formulation of public policy.
• Based on your analysis, share at least one insight you gained about the influence of democratic principles and processes on the formulation of public policy. Or, if you live outside the United States, explain how these democratic principles might affect governance in your country.