Martial Law
At a glance:
- Series: Magill’s Guide to Military History
- Categories: Military History, Law, Legal History, Courts
- Subcategories: Invasions, Raids, Conquests, Sieges, Dictatorships, Dictators, Tyrants
- Curriculum: Western Civilization/European History, US History
The maintenance of civil order by the military when civilian courts and other normal mechanisms of governance are unable to operate. It is often imposed upon a territory by an invading army. In such an instance, it is usually a de facto dictatorship by the commander of the invasion force. It has also been exercised by militaries on their own soil—especially during times of insurrection and invasion. While European martial law is largely limited to an existing “state of siege” and well-defined military powers, its U.S. counterpart remains more flexible and ambiguous. Once martial...
[The entire page is 178 words long]
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