How long can Americans live in a state of emergency?

Civil liberties are a cornerstone of American democracy, but nothing tests those liberties quite like a major crisis.

Every crisis poses distinct threats and requires distinct responses. But throughout America’s history, restricting civil liberties in some way has frequently been part of the response.

In the interests of security, people have often been willing to surrender liberties during a crisis and in its aftermath. The state has also used crises as a justification to forcibly restrict citizens’ liberties, such as the notorious internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The coronavirus pandemic represents the latest test of civil liberties, and it’s testing these liberties in unprecedented ways, even as the U.S. death count passed 100,000 this week.

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“What is different about this crisis is both the invisibility of the adversary and the time frame in

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