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.
2,864 Articles
Are We Down to One Branch of Government?
The Republican-led Congress has essentially abdicated its role. The Supreme Court — with its travel ban decision and especially now with Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement…
Trump v. Hawaii: Korematsu’s Ghost and National Security Masquerades
The travel ban represents only the most prominent Trump administration policy that, in Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s words, “now masquerades behind a façade of national-security…
Carpenter Ruling Brings Us Back From Brink of Orwellian Surveillance State
Orwell described a world where limitless surveillance makes us question every action, every thought. Last Friday’s decision in Carpenter v. United States brought us one step…
The Radical Supreme Court Travel Ban Opinion–But why it might not apply to other immigrants’ rights cases
The Supreme Court adopted a new and radical framework allowing the Justices to sidestep the anti-Muslim animus that motivated the travel ban. But, even by its own logic, the new-fangled…
Trump v Hawaii: Giving Pretext a Pass
There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the Supreme Court’s majority opinion in Trump v. Hawaii, which upheld the president’s proclamation banning travel to the U.S.…
The Broad Reach of Carpenter v. United States
By focusing on the nature of the information rather than on the telecommunications nitty-gritty used to gather the information or the structure of the database in which the information…
Detention of Migrant Families as “Deterrence”: Ethical Flaws and Empirical Doubts
The government's own statistics prove the very opposite of what the Justice Department just told a federal court about the deterrent effects of family detention. But let's start…
Exigent Circumstances: iOS 12’s USB Restricted Mode and Warrantless iPhone Access
Apple recently confirmed the introduction of a new feature called “USB Restricted Mode” in the latest version of the iPhone’s mobile operating system, iOS 12. If enabled…
The Government Has Yet to Produce Evidence Showing the Travel Ban is About National Security
The very first thing that Solicitor General Noel Francisco told the court at oral argument in Hawaii v. Trump was: “After a worldwide multi-agency review, the President’s acting…
“Zero Tolerance” and the Detention of Children: Torture under International Law
The Trump administration will continue to run afoul of refugee and human rights law unless and until it stops criminalizing refugees and ends the unjustified detention of children.
Dangerous Drone Bill Emerges from Senate Committee
It’s rare that a congressional committee tasked with overseeing homeland security approves a bill that would not only authorize sweeping surveillance, but also could pose a significant…
Not the Final Word
Can a sitting president be indicted? The public should be skeptical of the argument that a president can’t be, which frequently relies on two opinions by the Justice Department’s…