Talk:Martial law in the United States

Removed link to Freedom Riders
I removed the following sentence: "It has also been used against civil protesters fighting for racial equality in the deep south Freedom Riders." I initially only intended to copy-edit the sentence as it was grammatically incorrect. However, upon reviewing the Freedom Riders article, I found no mention of martial law. I also reviewed several related articles, such as Bull Conner, Birmingham campaign, Martin Luther King, Jr., Birmingham, Alabama and Bombingham. None mentioned an imposition of martial law in the Deep South, so I conclude that this statement is without citation and removed it. I did find a reference to martial law in Maryland during the Civil Rights Movement, which I intend to add to the article in place of the removed sentence: "On June 11, struggles between blacks and whites escalated into violent rioting, leading Maryland Governor J. Millard Tawes to declare martial law." 8.19.241.10 (talk) 20:59, 29 January 2020 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)
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Kent State
Kent State in 1970 should be added to this list. The governor publicly stated that he would seek a court order, essentially declaring martial law. (He did this because of violent riots that had happened) While the declaration never actually officialy happened, the National Guard as well as officials at the University believed that it did. And more importantly, they acted as if martial law was declared by the government/courts. The National Guard had taken control over the university. A couple of things the National Guard did while the University was under martial law, was to ban the first amendment freedom of assembly. In protest, thousands of students did exactly that. They assembled peacably. The National Guard then proceeded to force them to the top of a hill at gun point and then fired into the crowd.

So this is an example of martial law happening illegally. (Not that the other ones were necessarily legal) Ammon1011 (talk) 12:54, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

Civil War
I find no reason for the Civil War to be excluded from this list. Ammon1011 (talk) 13:01, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

Nevermind, it is included, isn't it? Ammon1011 (talk) 13:37, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

Assassination of Albert Patterson
This should be added.

From Albert Patterson's Wikipedia page: "Within weeks, Gov. Gordon Persons declared martial law in the city, effectively giving the Alabama National Guard the law enforcement duties in the city and county." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Patterson — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.69.3.167 (talk) 20:18, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

President and Martial Law
Where is the source for a POTUS having the power to declare martial law? I find it nowhere in the US Constitution? Where does he get this power? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:4040:129E:9200:A03E:89C4:E845:31E (talk) 05:41, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

Pandemic
Hi, it seems that under several laws, in the event of a "National Emergency" which has been declared, the US President has the authority to declare martial law though is highly unlikely to do so unless in their opinion massive loss of life may result from failing to do so. Also relevant: the Constitution and Bill of Rights can be temporarily abridged including requiring anyone with certain weapons to either hand them over to a higher authority or enrol in the militia in their area. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.190.161.223 (talk) 09:46, 29 March 2020 (UTC)


 * No state fell under marital law in the Covid-19 pandemic, but are in a state of emergency in terms of public health. Twice in 3 decades I can recall when governments in the US declared martial law: The 1992 Los Angeles Riots from Apr 30-May 4 included a nighttime curfew, and the state of siege: the 2001 Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center for New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, encompassing nearby Washington, District of Columbia from Sep 12-16. Martial law is usually done when civil disorder and lack of law or order such as mass looting and shooting occur. A state of siege is when citizens are under attack, be it by a foreign military or in this case, a biological threat. 2605:E000:100D:C571:7D82:A683:E434:DB3D (talk) 20:59, 30 April 2020 (UTC)

Source for my reverted edit.
"“If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” Trump said during a brief address.

Throughout the nation, cities deployed squadrons of police officers in riot gear and activated national guard teams in response to the demonstrations. In Washington, protests continued despite a 7pm curfew. An active-duty military police battalion began deploying to the city, according to reports, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it was also assisting with the response, raising concerns about an escalation by law enforcement following a weekend of tumultuous protests that ended with fires near the White House on Sunday night."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/01/george-floyd-protests-monday-curfews-autopsy

There. There's your source that military are enforcing the law. You've already got the definitioncovered, so... You're welcome.

But wait. There's more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/01/politics/troops-deploying-washington-dc/

George Bush, 1992, Los Angeles
Didn't George Bush use martial law in 1992 in Los Angeles? Why is there no mention of it here among the historical uses of it? Barkway (talk) 11:15, 13 September 2020 (UTC)

The subject is never defined, and examples do not elucidate
I came to this page from the general "martial law" page, which defines the term as the substitution of military control for civilian control. This page doesn't clarify matters any further. What powers are gained via martial law other than the opportunity to suspend Habeas Corpus? The historical examples simply state "Governor X declared martial law" but rarely describe what powers the ensuing military leadership claimed. 135.180.193.96 (talk) 16:27, 4 June 2023 (UTC)