Recent Articles

A demonstrator walks in front of a row of military police members wearing riot gear as they push back demonstrators outside of the White House, June 1, 2020 in Washington D.C.

The Military Justice Dimension: Constraints on Military Personnel in Handling Civil Unrest

Top Expert Backgrounder: How the code of military justice applies to National Guard and other military personnel responding to protests. What must they do if the president issues…
Donald Trump, William Barr, Mark Meadows, and Kayleigh McEnnany outside of St John's Episcopal church across Lafayette Park in Washington, DC on June 1, 2020.

Trump’s Moves Are Right Out of the Authoritarian Playbook

Trump's recent actions may be of a man fearful of looking weak to the world, but they are also redolent of how authoritarian regimes in countries the world over have responded…
National Guard with riot gear stand between protestors and the White House during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody, on June 2, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Invoking “Terrorism” Against Police Protestors

"The invocation of 'terrorism' to respond to Antifa—and those protesting police violence more generally—has real consequences even if it does not create new legal powers."

The Early Edition: June 3, 2020

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and…
Members of the National Guard join police in holding a line on the fourth day of protests on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The President and the Domestic Deployment of the Military: Answers to Five Key Questions

Can President Trump use the military without governors' consent? What are the rules for the use of force?
Aerial view of people in white and red to form the Canadian flag.

A Deep Dive into Canada’s Overhaul of Its Foreign Intelligence and Cybersecurity Laws

Following the release of documents by Edward Snowden, many of the Western governments whose agencies’ activities were implicated in the leaks raced to update and modernize their…
The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) fires a close-in weapons system during a live-fire exercise, April 27, 2020.

On Iranian Gunboats: Beware Conflating American and Mainstream Views of the Law

In a recent essay in Just Security entitled “Iranian Gunboat Harassment and the Rules of Engagement,” Michael Schmitt and Durward Johnson explore important questions raised…

The Early Edition: June 2, 2020

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and…
A person holds a sign reading, "Stop the Attacks on People's Democratic Rights!" in front of ABS-CBNs main office on May 5, 2020 in Manila, Philippines.

A Bipartisan Push in Congress to Fight the ‘Parallel Pandemic’ of Human Rights Abuses Abroad

Legislation would improve US support to rights defenders, journalists, and marginalized groups fighting authoritarian abuses of emergency powers abroad.
Red and blue Lights of police car in night time.

White Supremacist Infiltration of US Police Forces: Fact-Checking National Security Advisor O’Brien

What the available research says about systemic discrimination in law enforcement as well as links to racist and white supremacist ideology.
Trafficked children are arrested and sit on the floor of a detention facility in the Ivory Coast.

Trump Administration Reverses Position on Corporate Liability Under Alien Tort Statute

In a brief filed last week, the Trump administration reversed its position on corporate liability under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), urging the Supreme Court to grant certiorari…
A demonstrator confronts police as he protests the death of George Floyd, in Los Angeles, California on May 29, 2020.

Don’t Let Trump Say the “American Carnage” of 2020 is What He Claimed in 2016. It’s Not.

The violence we’re seeing right now is not the so-called “American carnage” President Trump described in 2016 as he simultaneously claimed only he could lead the country…
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