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National Security Law Commons

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Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in National Security Law

Executive Branch Lawyers In A Time Of Terror: The 2008 Fw. Wickwire Memorial Lecture, W Bradley Wendel Oct 2008

Executive Branch Lawyers In A Time Of Terror: The 2008 Fw. Wickwire Memorial Lecture, W Bradley Wendel

Dalhousie Law Journal

This article discusses the ethical responsibilities of the lawyers who advise executive branch officials on the lawfulness ofactions taken in the name of national security. To even talk about this subject assumes that there is some distinction -betweena government that does all within its power to protect its citizens, and one that does all within its lawful power If there are good normative reasons to care about maintaining this distinction, then we have the key to understanding the ethical responsibilities of government lawyers. The Bush administration took the position that the role oflawyers is to get out of the way …


The Bounds Of Necessity, Jens David Ohlin May 2008

The Bounds Of Necessity, Jens David Ohlin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The current controversy surrounding the legality of torture can only be understood through an analysis of the distinction between justified necessity and excused necessity. Although there may be strong prudential reasons for international criminal courts to declare torture unlawful under any circumstance, this would not necessarily prevent a court from recognizing that an excuse may apply. However, the hallmark of the necessity excuse should not be understood, as it is in German law, as an exception that only applies when a defendant breaks the law to save someone close to him. Rather, the basic principle of the excuse ought to …


Torture, With Apologies, Thomas P. Crocker Feb 2008

Torture, With Apologies, Thomas P. Crocker

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Torture, Truth Serum, And Ticking Bombs: Toward A Pragmatic Perspective Of Coercive Interrogation, Kenneth Lasson Jan 2008

Torture, Truth Serum, And Ticking Bombs: Toward A Pragmatic Perspective Of Coercive Interrogation, Kenneth Lasson

All Faculty Scholarship

The 'War on Terror' has prompted a great deal of discussion about the use of torture as a means of extracting information from those suspected of having perpetrated past acts of violence or planning future ones. Despite the years that have passed since the attacks of September 11, 2001, for both citizens and government officials there is still a strong tension between the competing emotions of anger, revenge, and desperation; it seems increasingly difficult to adhere to international norms governing a nation's moral and legal obligations to protect its citizens from grave danger while continuing to support individual freedoms. Among …


Ten Questions On National Security, Norman Abrams, Geoffrey S. Corn, Amos Guiora, Glenn Sulmasy Jan 2008

Ten Questions On National Security, Norman Abrams, Geoffrey S. Corn, Amos Guiora, Glenn Sulmasy

William Mitchell Law Review

No abstract provided.


Tinkering With Torture In The Aftermath Of Hamdan: Testing The Relationship Between Internationalism And Constitutionalism, Catherine Powell Jan 2008

Tinkering With Torture In The Aftermath Of Hamdan: Testing The Relationship Between Internationalism And Constitutionalism, Catherine Powell

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Bridging international and constitutional law scholarship, the author examines the question of torture in light of democratic values. The focus in this article is on the international prohibition on torture as this norm was addressed through the political process in the aftermath of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. Responding to charges that the international torture prohibition--and international law generally--poses irreconcilable challenges for democracy and our constitutional framework, the author contends that by promoting respect for fundamental rights and for minorities and outsiders, international law actually facilitates a broad conception of democracy and constitutionalism. She takes on the question of torture within …