Democracy & Rule of Law
Rule of Law
1,167 Articles
Prize Courts Are Still Good Law. That Doesn’t Make Them a Good Idea.
The proposed revival of prize courts to seize Iranian oil vessels rests on a misunderstanding of the courts' historical purposes and the nature of modern naval warfare.
Hope – and Vigilance – on the Road to a Crimes Against Humanity Treaty
Proponents of a crimes against humanity treaty will need to redouble their efforts to shore up the support necessary to ensure it is strong and effective.
Guantanamo Dispatch: All Four Defendants’ Confessions Are Now Suppressed in the 9/11 Case
A military judge on Wednesday threw out the last disputed confession in the case against the suspected 9/11 plotters at Guantanamo Bay.
Boots Off Ballots: Troops and Elections, In Practice
Soldiers should always remember that in a democracy, any domestic deployment order given on or around an election is suspect.
The Just Security Podcast: How State and Local Governments Can Fight Back Against Authoritarianism
Erwin Chemerinsky and Aziz Huq discuss the powers that state and local governments can use to serve as a check against authoritarianism and federal overreach.
The 9/11 Military Commission and Lessons of Recent History
The rulings that the accused 9/11 plotters' confessions are inadmissible are a reminder that the U.S. government fares better when it abides by the law.
Key Takeaways from Suncor v. Boulder Oral Argument: Jurisdiction, Preemption, and the Proper Role of State Tort Law in Addressing Climate Change
What we learned from oral arguments in the most important climate liability case to reach the U.S. Supreme Court in more than a decade.
No Emergency Exception: The Ban on Troops at the Polls Was Built for Crises
Section 592 unmistakably conveys Congress’s intent to bar any kind of military interference in American elections.
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.
Just Security’s Russia–Ukraine War Archive
A catalog of over 100 articles (many with Ukrainian translations) on the Russia Ukraine War -- law, diplomacy, policy options, and more.
Guantanamo Dispatch: Another Confession Is Ruled Inadmissible in 9/11 Case
A military judge has thrown out the confessions of Mustafa al-Hawsawi, a capital defendant in the 9/11 case at Guantanamo Bay.
Landmark UN Declaration on Sea-Level Rise Offers Legal Certainty and International Stability
The Declaration represents an international consensus on legal questions including inundated States' continuing statehood and UN membership.