Courts & Litigation

Just Security’s expert authors offer analysis and informational resources on key litigation impacting national security, rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Our content spans domestic and international litigation, from cases at the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and other international and regional tribunals, to those in U.S. courts involving executive branch actions, transnational litigation, and more.

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2,932 Articles
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) arrive to the Senate chamber for impeachment proceedings at the U.S. Capitol on January 16, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Hearsay and the Impeachment Trial

How big an issue is it that the Senate will allow hearsay objections as a basis to exclude evidence from the record?
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies about the Inspector General's report on alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 11, 2019.

Pumping the Brakes a Bit on FISA “Reform”

Critics of FISA on both the left and the right are seizing on the DOJ inspector general's report as an opportunity to significantly alter FISA.
Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies September 30, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Executive Privilege Is No Bar to John Bolton’s Testimony in the Senate

President Donald Trump’s impeachment team reportedly believes that executive privilege poses “significant and important” issues that could prevent former National Security…
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies about the Inspector General's report on alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 11, 2019.

After the IG Report: “Next Steps” for Congress, DOJ, and the FISA Court

The first in our series on proposals for FISA reform, published in conjunction with a public event on Jan. 16 with Liza Goitein, Andrew McCabe, Julian Sanchez, and Andrew Weissmann…
People demonstrate against United States entering a war with Iran on the East Front of the US Capitol on January 9, 2020 in Washington, United States. A sign reads, “No war with Iran!”

How to Recover a Role for Congress and the Courts in Decisions to Wage War

A recent set of cases on congressional standing opens up an opportunity to restore Congress’ recourse to the courts for serious war powers violations—if Congress is willing…
Side by side photos of a Congressional document labeled, “H.J. Res. 542” and the remnants of the U.S. airstrike still on fire that killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020 outside the Baghdad International Airport.

The Soleimani Strike and War Powers

Key Legal Questions, With Preview of a New Research Database
Exterior View of new International Criminal Court building in The Hague on July 30, 2016.

ICC Holds Historic Hearing on U.S. Torture and Other Grave Crimes in Afghanistan

While “high crimes and misdemeanors” dominated the news cycle in Washington this month, the focus in The Hague was on grave crimes and mistreatment. Just days before the International…
US President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands in the Oval Office of the White House March 25, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Why the Settlements are a Problem for Benjamin Netanyahu

Despite the new U.S. position that West Bank settlements are not "per se" illegal, international accountability for Israeli settlement activity remains a real possibility.
A flag waves in front of the U.S. Capitol building.

The Senate Must Conduct an Impeachment Trial That Is Serious and Fair

The American people deserve an impeachment trial that is fair and serious. The Chief Justice and the members of the Senate should deliver one.
A cluster of corrugated iron huts resembling military barracks jut out of Nauru's sweltering rocky landscape to reveal refugee Camp Four on the Pacific island of Nauru.

Boochani’s Tribunal: Normalizing Human Degradation at Borders

A complaint to the ICC on Australia's detention practices highlights a very clear risk that this precedent represents an emerging global normalcy of human degradation when it comes…
U.S. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill June 18, 2018 in Washington, DC.

The Crossfire Hurricane Report’s Inconvenient Findings

"The Inspector General's report fails to turn up anything resembling a Deep State cabal within the FBI plotting against the president, or deliberate abuse of surveillance authorities…
The Taedong river and city skyline of Pyongyang prior to the annual Pyongyang marathon on April 8, 2018.

Recent North Korea Sanctions Arrest Raises Questions About Free Speech Rights

Virgil Griffith, it’s safe to assume, did not have a happy Thanksgiving. On arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from abroad, he was arrested that day. An unsealed criminal…
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