Congress can also expressly authorize the use of the military to execute civilian law. The Posse Comitatus Act does not apply to the National Guard mobilized at the request of a state governor or the Coast Guard, which is not under the authority of the U.S. 1992 race riots during the Rodney King trial in Los Angeles.Therefore, governors and other local leaders can still request that the president dispatch federal troops to assist police during emergencies as long as they are supporting and not supplanting local law enforcement.Įxamples of the use of these exceptions include: §§ 251) that permits the Department of Defense to provide federal, state and local police with information, equipment, and personnel. However, there are statutory exceptions (10 U.S.C. Armed Forces in civilian law enforcement activities or the execution of civilian laws. § 1385), latin for “power of the county” or “the force of the county, prohibits direct involvement of the U.S. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 is (18 U.S.C. The use of the military for civilian law enforcement can also be done without declaring martial law. The short answer is a limited “yes”, the military can be used for law enforcement depending on the circumstances. “The governor shall have power, in case of invasion, disaster, insurrection, riot, breach of the peace, or imminent danger thereof, to order into the active service of the state.” Furthermore, this power “shall include the power to order the organized militia or any part thereof to function under the operational control of the United States army (sic), navy (sic) or air force (sic) commander in charge of the defense of any area within the state” Can the Military be Used for Law Enforcement? What does this mean? Let’s look at the laws of New York State as cited by NBC from Article I, Section 6 of the Consolidated Laws of New York: The governor of your state has the power to declare state-wide martial law. Some sources disagree, but remember that the definition of “martial law” is fairly open-ended. Practically speaking, martial law is a situation where the governor of a state or the President of the United States places a military entity in control of the state or the country under a lawful order.ĭepending on circumstances, the President has the authority to declare martial law on the federal level, but Congress may also. What do we mean by “practical definition”? Basically how the average person interprets the phrase and/or how the term is used to define a specific set of actions by the authorities that constitutes actual martial law. There are other examples, but that is likely the best-understood version for most readers. The other definition (the one we’re not discussing here) applies to situations where the military has occupied a territory, most notably the American occupation of Japan in the aftermath of World War Two. “…the law administered by military forces that is invoked by a government in an emergency when the civilian law enforcement agencies are unable to maintain public order and safety.” Merriam-Webster defines martial law in two ways, the most relevant definition for our discussion here is this: Although the president usually imposes martial law, federal regulation allows for a state governor to do so if the circumstances demand immediate action. Martial law occurs when the military assumes police powers. Here’s what you need to know about martial law, including why it isn’t likely to happen in times of national emergency unless certain conditions are met. What is martial law? How does it differ from other states of emergency? These are questions on the minds of many in times of national emergency whether it’s 9/11 terror attacks, riots, or times of elevated threat levels.
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