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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2,863 Articles
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Professional Criminal Prosecution Versus The Siren Song of Command: The Road to Improve Military Justice

An almost paragraph-by-paragraph critique of Jeh Johnson's essay opposing the Military Justice Improvement Act. Our author: Professor Rachel VanLandingham, Lt Col, USAF (ret.),…
Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill April 11, 2018 in Washington, DC.

A Deeper Dive: Facebook’s Response to Oversight Board on Trump May Be Less Than It Appears

A deeper dive shows the company is not ready to engage with the board's most far-reaching recommendations,
Supreme Court Building

The Surprisingly Broad Implications of Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe for Human Rights Litigation and Extraterritoriality

In Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court took up the question of corporate liability for human rights violations under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) for the third time.…
A human rights activist, dressed to resemble the now famous Abu Ghraib prison photo depicting an Iraqi prisoner being tortured, stands on a street corner during rush hour in front of the US Department of Justice 22 February 2005 in Washington, DC.

How the Biden Administration Should Take Torture-Derived Evidence Off the Table

In a decent legal system, the government does not ask courts to admit evidence derived from torture, nor does it press other arguments that disregard the absolute prohibition on…
An American flag hangs on a wall behind barbed wire.

State Secrets and the Torture of Abu Zubaydah

More than any case to have reached the Supreme Court, Abu Zubaydah’s case demonstrates the need to carefully scrutinize what information the Executive Branch can legitimately…
Former General Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s recently pardoned national security adviser, gives a thumbs up as he departs a protest of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election outside the Supreme Court on December 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters walk around him. Most, including Flynn, do not wear face masks.

What To Do About Lt. General (retired) Flynn: Military Justice and Civil-Military Relations Considerations

Flynn's recent conduct has raised new questions about retiree court-martial jurisdiction. Yevgeny Vindman and Dan Maurer make the legal and policy argument for a court-martial.…
A phone screen shows a statement by Trump on May 5, 2021. Another screen in the background shows an image of Trump. The statement text reads, “What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our country. Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The People of our Country will not stand for it! These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.”

For Facebook’s Sake: Getting Conversant with Human Rights

The Facebook Oversight Board decision on former President Trump has helped bring into sharper focus what international law scholars and lawyers have long understood: international…
Belarusians living in Poland and Poles supporting them hold up a placard reading 'Free Roman Protasevich' during a demonstration in front of the European Commission office in Warsaw on May 24, 2021, demanding freedom for Belarus opposition activist Roman Protasevich a day after a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying the dissident journalist was diverted while in Belarusian airspace. The demonstrators wear face masks.

In Belarus, Who’s the Terrorist? Another Step in the Crackdown on Journalists

The case of Roman Protasevich is nothing more than a step – albeit unprecedented and shocking – in the incremental use by States, across the globe, of legislation to counter…
Flynn speaks to Trump supporters during a rally to overturn the election results outside the Supreme Court on December 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. The Trump supporters carry American flags, Trump flags and signs. Many take photographs or video with their phones.

Getting Real About General Flynn

At a rally in Dallas on May 30, 2021, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn put his foot in his mouth. Again. This time his offense was a comment in response to…
Asylum seekers from El Salvador and Honduras sit outside the El Chaparral border crossing on February 19, 2021 in Tijuana, Mexico. They wear face masks with the exception of the toddler, who appears to be too young for a face mask.

Asylum and the Three Little Words that Can Spell Life or Death

The U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals defines “particular social group” in a way that practically ensures the denial of asylum claims, especially for Central Americans. The…
CIA Director John Brennan and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, arrive to testify during a US House Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 10, 2015.

A New Consensus Around Transparency and National Security Surveillance

Civil libertarian arguments that were dismissed a decade ago are now broadly accepted, even at the highest levels of the intelligence community.
The old courtroom building, pictured through an opening from inside an airplane hangar used for media activities at Camp Justice, site of the US war crimes tribunal compound at Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba, April 9, 2014. A guard stands at the opening of the hanger.

Torture Evidence and the Guantanamo Military Commissions

Burying evidence of torture, while surreptitiously admitting the fruits of torture is not what a decent legal system does. Bringing to justice those accused of atrocious crimes…
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