Emergency powers

Emergency powers are exceptional legal authorities governments may invoke during crises to address urgent threats. They can expand executive discretion or temporarily limit ordinary rights and procedures.

State of emergency: A formal declaration that a serious crisis requires exceptional governmental measures. The declaration commonly triggers emergency powers and defines their legal scope.
Constitutional government: A system in which public authority is established and limited by a constitution. Emergency powers depart from ordinary arrangements but remain bounded by constitutional rules.
Roman dictatorship: An ancient Roman office granting one magistrate temporary, concentrated authority during a crisis. It is an early model of extraordinary authority limited in principle by time and purpose.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: A United Nations treaty setting out civil and political rights and obligations for its state parties. Article 4 sets conditions for derogating from certain treaty obligations during public emergencies.
Civil-military relations: The relationships and distribution of authority between civilian institutions and a country's armed forces. Military roles in domestic emergencies can shift the balance between civilian and military authority.
Martial law: A form of emergency rule in which military authorities exercise powers normally held by civilian government. It is one possible, especially far-reaching, form of emergency governance.
Rule of law: The principle that public power must be exercised under publicly established laws and legal procedures. Emergency rule tests whether urgent action remains subject to law.
Roman Republic: The ancient Roman political system that governed Rome before the establishment of the Roman Empire. Its institutions provide the historical setting for the Roman emergency dictatorship.
European Convention on Human Rights: A regional human-rights treaty overseen by the European Court of Human Rights. Article 15 permits limited derogations during qualifying emergencies.
Internment: The detention of people, often without ordinary criminal trial, under governmental authority. Emergency powers have been used to justify mass detention outside normal criminal procedures.

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