Magazine, Special Feature
In a stark and sobering briefing hosted by American Community Media, three leading scholars of democracy and constitutional law—Professors Lucan Way, Aziz Huq, and Gloria Brown Marshall—painted a chilling portrait of the current state of American governance. With the recent return of Donald Trump to the presidency, these experts warn that the United States may no longer be a democracy in practice but rather a “competitive authoritarian regime” where power is consolidated and dissent is punished—not through coups or tanks in the street, but through subtler, legalistic erosion of institutions.
“What we are seeing is far more dramatic and rapid than anything witnessed in Hungary, India, or Turkey,” said Professor Lucan Way of the University of Toronto, noting that the U.S. is undergoing a more brazen dismantling of democratic norms than many other recent examples globally. “The courts are being openly disregarded, civil servants replaced with loyalists, and the press treated as enemies of the state.”
A recent Public Religion Research Institute poll reflects this shift, with 52% of Americans agreeing that Trump is a “dangerous dictator.” Yet, as disturbing as these numbers are, they only scratch the surface of the institutional breakdown happening in real time.
Erosion of Judicial Power and Legal Norms
Professor Aziz Huq, a legal scholar from the University of Chicago, detailed how Trump’s administration is selectively complying with court rulings, using partial compliance and open contempt to weaken judicial authority. “There have been multiple instances of federal orders being ignored,” Huq said, “and even threats against judges and their families by actors aligned with the president’s political movement.”
He further explained that due to a recent Supreme Court ruling, it is now nearly impossible to hold a president accountable for defying the law—even in the face of contempt charges. “The judicial system has effectively been defanged,” Huq stated, “and due process is being gutted—especially in immigration cases, where individuals are deported without hearings, trials, or legal counsel.”
A Nation Long Practiced in Marginalization
Professor Gloria Brown Marshall brought a powerful historical context, arguing that what America is experiencing now has long been the reality for African Americans and other marginalized communities. “We were the canary in the coal mine,” she said. “What was practiced on Black Americans is now being applied to immigrants, students, LGBTQ+ individuals, and even mainstream institutions.”
Brown Marshall emphasized that the erosion of rights always starts with the most vulnerable—and once normalized, expands to the broader society. “If we ignore what happens to immigrants today,” she warned, “it will soon happen to everyone.”
Is a Third Term Possible? And What Can We Do?
Trump has openly mused about running for a third term, which, under the 22nd Amendment, is constitutionally prohibited. Yet the panel cautioned against assuming that constitutional limits will hold, given the Supreme Court’s recent pattern of rulings and the weakening of key enforcement mechanisms like Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
“We’ve seen constitutional provisions twisted or ignored,” Huq said. “Don’t assume the text will protect us.”
Still, all three experts emphasized that this moment—though perilous—is not hopeless.
“Autocracy is never irreversible,” said Way. “The United States is still a wealthy, diverse, and well-resourced society. But we need collective action. And courage.”
Professor Brown Marshall echoed that sentiment, calling for more widespread, strategic protest—not just in the streets, but in classrooms, newsrooms, courtrooms, and boardrooms. “We need a vision forward,” she said. “Protests must be both against tyranny and for something greater—justice, democracy, and shared power.”
The Road Ahead: 2045 and Beyond
At the heart of the briefing was an urgent truth: the fear driving today’s authoritarian shift is rooted in the demographic reality of America’s future. By 2045, people of color will make up the majority in the United States.
“This is about laying the foundation for an apartheid state,” warned Brown Marshall, “one where a white patriarchal minority clings to power through fear, division, and authoritarian control.”
A Final Word
What happens next depends not just on politicians, but on all of us. The silence of the good cannot become complicity. The tools of democracy—organizing, voting, protesting, and educating—are still in our hands.
As one participant asked, “If not now, when?”
The answer from the panel was clear: We’re already in the fight. Now we must decide what side of history we’re on.
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