This year’s World Justice Forum, which took place last month in Poland, focused on “Standing Up for the Rule of Law.” More than 500 participants from over 100 countries participated in the global forum to listen, learn, and collaborate. Piper Fund Senior Program Officer Kathy Bonnifield and Melissa Price Kromm, the executive director of North Carolina for the People, a Piper Fund grantee, were both in attendance. Melissa shares some of her insightful takeaways from the event and how they will inform her work in North Carolina.

With creeping authoritarianism gaining ground in the United States, I was eager to learn how others around the world are confronting democratic backsliding. What I discovered was both sobering and urgent: we’re living through a global recession of the rule of law, where democracy feels increasingly out of fashion. Wealth and power are fueling this trend, as elites tighten their grip on the economic, political, media, and legal systems that shape our societies.

What made this forum stand out was its clear-eyed focus on the moment we’re in—and its commitment to equipping us with real tools to fight back. It didn’t just meet expectations—it gave me renewed clarity and purpose to bring home.

At the World Justice Forum, one lesson rang clear: authoritarian regimes follow a chillingly familiar playbook. They begin by attacking the independence of key democratic institutions — judges, journalists, civil society organizations, election officials, and the rule of law itself. We’re witnessing these tactics now, from the politicization of the Department of Justice to the undermining of law enforcement independence and election administration. They expand executive power and silence dissent — deploying military force against civilians, detaining and deporting marginalized groups, and targeting critical media voices. They erode civil rights and liberties, even going so far as to arrest, disappear, or kill elected leaders.

So, how do we fight back?

• Invest in intersectional pro-democracy coalitions. Connect everyday kitchen table issues to the broader movement for democracy and justice. 
• Build a united front. Build a united front of pro-democracy coalitions at the local, state, and national levels. 
• Create a bold, forward-looking vision. Don’t just defend the status quo — people are tired of it. Offer them something to believe in.
• Be proactive, not just reactive. Authoritarianism thrives when we’re always on defense. Prepare for the long haul. Engage in scenario planning.
• Ignite civic participation beyond the ballot box. Democracy lives not just in voting booths but in our streets, schools, and communities.
• Invest in intersectional coalitions. Connect everyday kitchen table issues to the broader movement for democracy and justice.
• Hold Big Tech accountable. Democracies cannot survive without shared facts and a shared reality. Governments must stop abdicating their responsibility to protect their people from Big Tech.
• Protect and empower journalists. When reporters are under fire, support them — and build networks of community journalists and local truth-tellers.
• Use strategic litigation. Courts can be powerful tools when they remain independent and are engaged effectively.

Now it’s our turn to carry the baton. We must show up — marching, striking, voting, organizing, and protecting one another. For our freedoms. For our families. For our future.

The World Justice Forum highlighted the urgent need for a bold, forward-looking vision to counter the rise of authoritarianism. As a pro-democracy coalition, our focus should shift from merely defending existing systems to mobilizing public support for transformative reforms that restore trust, equity, and participation in democracy.

To build resilience, our coalition will engage in proactive, pro-democracy scenario planning rather than reacting to crises. This involves identifying early warning signs of democratic erosion and developing a comprehensive playbook for organizing, messaging, and legal action.

Truth-telling is vital. Our coalition will continue to prioritize digital justice, combating disinformation, and holding tech platforms accountable for enabling authoritarian tactics. This will be a challenging but essential battle. Protecting independent journalism is also crucial. We will continue to foster partnerships with local journalists and invest in community-based media to ensure that truth-telling continues.

Strategic litigation remains a vital tool to combat creeping authoritarianism, which is why we will double down on our efforts to advocate for judicial integrity and independence. Our coalition will intensify efforts to defend civil rights, challenge illegal power grabs, and uphold the rule of law through the courts.

North Carolina For The People has successfully built a strong intersectional coalition, and now we know why that’s important. This means bridging movements for racial justice, workers’ rights, climate action, and reproductive freedom, demonstrating their interconnectedness with a healthy democracy. This approach enhances both our resilience and reach.

Ultimately, the World Justice Forum’s message is one of collective courage. North Carolina For The People is dedicated to upholding our visible and steadfast commitment to democracy and expressing solidarity with democracy defenders, not only within America but now, thanks to the World Justice Forum, on a global scale.

Courage is contagious – and we are not alone. Around the world, a global network of democracy defenders stands ready to rise with us.

Melissa Price Kromm is the Executive Director of North Carolina For The People and N.C. For The People Action, where she has led North Carolina’s statewide pro-democracy coalition for over fifteen years. Under her leadership, the coalition has championed reforms to strengthen structural democracy, protect voting rights, campaign finance reform, promote government transparency and ethics, reform redistricting, defend judicial independence, safeguard dissent, and prevent constitutional crises. Price Kromm has successfully led efforts to pass campaign finance disclosure laws, expand voting rights, and defend the judiciary from political interference. She has also mobilized opposition to legislation that would increase campaign finance secrecy, suppress voter access, and criminalize protest—and has been at the forefront of advancing groundbreaking policies to prevent election subversion.