ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Abel

Richard Abel is Connell Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus and Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA. He has written two recent books on the defense of the rule of law in the US “war on terror,” Law’s Wars and Law’s Trials (Cambridge University Press 2018) and is working on another about the abuses by the Trump administration. He is also co-editor of Lawyers in 21st-Century Societies, vol. 1: National Reports; vol. 2: Comparisons and Theories (Hart Publishers 2020, 2022).

POSTS BY Richard Abel

11 May 2022

Richard Abel

Law’s Fate under the US “War on Terror”

More than 20 years after the US declared “war on terror” we must assess the damage it inflicted on the core values embodied in the rule of law and the success of efforts to defend them. The fate of the rule of law — whose raison d’être is to restrain the state from abusing its power — itself depends on politics. Party control of the executive and legislature (which in turn shapes the appointment of judges) was the single most powerful determinant of responses to the numerous abuses under all four administrations since 9/11. Continue reading >>