Civil Liberties
Highlights:
Guantanamo Dispatches: USS Cole Defense Lawyers Make 11th Hour Plea for Delay of Trial Starting Monday
With jury selection set to begin in just a few days, the senior military defense lawyer in the USS Cole bombing case asked the judge to postpone the trial by six months.
The Just Security Podcast: Carol Rosenberg on the Past and Future of Guantanamo’s Military Courts
Veteran journalist Carol Rosenberg discusses her reporting on the upcoming trials of the USS Cole bombing and 9/11 suspects at Guantanamo.
An Urgent and Existential Threat: The Climate Crisis Is Also a Rule of Law Emergency
Legal frameworks that were not developed to respond to the climate crisis must quickly adapt to solve the justice problems they create.
Syria on the Road to Trials of Chemical Weapons Use: Attributing an Attack Does Not Prove Individual Criminal Responsibility
Syrian prosecutors should not bring chemical weapons charges against any detainee unless they can identify a specific incident and evidence linking them to it.
Guantanamo Dispatches: Military Judge Accepts First U.S. Navy Officer on Jury in USS Cole Bombing Case
The military judge in the USS Cole bombing trial at Guantanamo Bay added the first U.S. Navy officer to the jury.
Deference, the Insurrection Act, and the Statutory History
Any court deciding whether to defer to the president when he invokes the Insurrection Act must engage with the law's statutory history.
1,523 Articles
How the IFC’s Secret Commercial Agreements Leave Local Communities in the Dark
The public has a right to greater transparency into the International Finance Corporation’s investment deals and harm mitigation practices.
Guantanamo Dispatches: Slow-Going in Jury Selection for First Capital Terror Trial at Guantanamo Bay
Jury selection in the USS Cole bombing case at Guantanamo is going to take weeks and is likely to stretch past Thanksgiving.
Guantanamo Dispatches: Jury Selection Is Underway in the USS Cole Bombing Case, First Capital Case at Guantanamo Bay
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of the USS Cole Bombing suspect, the first death penalty trial to be held at Guantanamo.
John Eastman’s Most Dangerous Supreme Court Case Yet
A ruling restoring Eastman's law license after it was revoked for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election would weaken the rule of law.
Collection: Just Security 2026 Midterm Election Analysis and Commentary
This collection brings together analysis of the legal and policy issues surrounding the 2026 U.S. midterm elections published on Just Security.
Guantanamo Dispatches: Trial Judge Finds Defendant in USS Cole Bombing Case Competent to Face Trial
The ruling clears the way for jury selection to start Nov. 2 in the first capital case by the military commission at Guantanamo Bay.
Why is the Government Hiding Court Rebuke on Warrantless FISA Surveillance?
Government agencies have been misusing FISA 702 and the Trump administration is now breaking the law to hide this misconduct from the public.
What Leaders Can Do Now and Next to Lower Risks of Election Violence
Congress could take several obvious steps to make it safer to participate in the American democratic system.
When Military Leaders Fear Speaking Up, Everyone Is at Risk
Military leaders must be able to provide candid advice, raise legal concerns and challenge questionable orders without fearing retaliation.
Guantanamo Dispatches: Army Doctor Diagnosed USS Cole Bombing Defendant with PTSD and Depression, Found Him Fit for Trial
A U.S. military psychiatrist found the USS Cole bombing suspect to be suffering from PTSD but cogent enough to face trial at Guantanamo Bay.
Reinvention Blueprint No. 5: Reinvigorating Federal Enforcement to Fight for the Public
The next administration should lean into enforcement as a strategy to advance fairness, justice, and the rule of law.
Guantanamo Dispatches: Ahead of Jury Selection, Defense Psychiatrist Calls USS Cole Defendant Unfit for Trial
A forensic psychiatrist testified this week that the USS Cole bombing suspect is unfit for trial as a result of his torture by the CIA.