CENTER FOR ETHICS AND THE RULE OF LAW​
Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin Youtube

CERL's Mission

The Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) is a non-partisan interdisciplinary institute dedicated to preserving and promoting ethics and the rule of law in national security, warfare, and democratic governance. CERL draws from the study of law, philosophy, and ethics to answer the difficult questions that arise in domestic and transnational crises and conflicts. more

CERL 2024 Summer Interns
Symposium on Threats to the Rule of Law and National Security
National Security and Journalism in a World of Alternative Facts
Tabletop Exercise to Assess the Risk of Civil Unrest and Threats to the Rule of Law in the 2024 Presidential Election
Tabletop Exercise to Assess the Risk of Civil Unrest and Threats to the Rule of Law in the 2024 Presidential Election
CERL's 2024 Summer Internship Program
The Promises and Perils of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weaponry
The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau’s Code of Excellence
The Reauthorization Debate: Charting the Path Ahead for FISA Section 702
The Reauthorization Debate: Charting the Path Ahead for FISA Section 702
 

NEWS & UPDATES

Events

Apr 14

The Trump Administration, the Rule of Law, and the Future of Business

Apr 11

Symposium on Threats to the Rule of Law and National Security

Mar 26

National Security and Journalism in a World of Alternative Facts

Jan 30

Nuclear Weapons and International Law 2025: Nuclear Risks through a Legal Lens

Jan 15

CERL/Brennan Center Roundtable on Domestic Military Deployments to Assist or Participate in Civilian Law Enforcement

Oct 09

Tabletop Exercise Assessing the Risk of Civil Unrest Surrounding the 2024 Presidential Election – Part II

Sep 18

Tabletop Exercise Assessing the Risk of Civil Unrest Surrounding the 2024 Presidential Election – Part I

May 28

2024 CERL Summer Internship Program

May 24

High-level Roundtable on the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP)

All Events
CERL Media
Geoff-Corn-315x440

Trump’s plan to accept Qatari luxury jet raises concern over national security 

Geoff-Corn-315x440

Traditional legal processes bypassed to expand troop presence along the U.S.-Mexico border 

ClaireFinkelstein_0921_0009

Ethics experts raise concern about a DOGE employee’s personal ties to Musk

Soler

Meet CERL’s new executive director, Dr. Marcos Soler

Digital screen with multiple media icons and a "blocked" sign in red, symbolizing internet censorship, restricted content, or access denial

How terminological ambiguities in Section 706 of the Communications Act of 1934 could imperil the future of communication infrastructure

2023-24 Annual Report Cover

CERL’s 2023-24 Annual Report

34555_Mark_Fallon

Fallon reflects on three-decade career in counterintelligence

Geoff-Corn-315x440

Soldiers are trained to fight wars, not participate in civilian law enforcement

CERL-Symposium_041125_0285

Penn CERL holds public symposium on threats to the rule of law and U.S. democracy

Red alarm lights flashing on a digital stock board showing a market crash, with traders running away

Preventing a flash war: Countering the risk of AI-driven escalation on the battlefield

IMG_3005

New paper stresses importance of DoD program on mitigating civilian harm amid efforts to slash it

ClaireFinkelstein_0921_0009

Legal experts weigh in on Trump’s intensifying criticism of the courts

Mailing List

Submissions

Submissions to The Rule of Law Post. Please refer to CERL’s submission guidelines for additional details on the blog post format. Should your submission be accepted, we ask that you please complete the Agreement to Transfer Copyright.

Please upload text in one document under 6 mb. Preferred format as a simple text file (.txt).

Center For Ethics and the Rule of Law

The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

All Rights Reserved © 2025

Share Penn CERL holds public symposium on threats to the rule of law and U.S. democracy on:

LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Email
Print
Penn CERL holds public symposium on threats to the rule of law and U.S. democracy