Prescott Heighton

The Forum on National Security Law Prescott Heighton

This issue is the inaugural issue of The Forum on National Security Law. It was one of the goals of the past executive board to expand into the realm of electronic publications, and we are very excited to finally bring it to fruition! That said, within these pages, you will find a range of topics on national security law, including a bibliographic overview of the Fourth Amendment as it relates to national security, the issue of arming recreational drones, digital encryption, and the tension between border security and international relations. Eight years ago, our founding counterparts set their intentions and academic convictions to paper in the enclosed blog post. In establishing this Brief, those who came before us threw down a gauntlet, calling upon law students to come together to enhance and underline essential debates in the National Security realm, anchoring them in legal analysis. This is a gauntlet we, the editorial board for Volume IX of the National Security Law Brief, gladly pick up. In the years since the Brief published its first issue, the world has changed immeasurably. Over the existence of the Brief, our staffers have seen the rise of ISIL; the fall of long-standing regimes in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia; and the re-solidification of old Cold War battle lines. What the next nine, nineteen or ninety years hold for the national security field is uncertain. What is certain, however, is that learned debate and discussion on critical topics requires an outlet, and that is what this publication strives to provide.