Fiction
3 February 2001: The country is in turmoil, our once-proud nation in ruins. With a heavy heart the Provisional Martial Law Authority announces the dissolution of Parliament and the formation of a military government. We set ourselves the target of one year to stabilise the country and establish firm footing for a new round of elections in 2002.
2 February 2002: The Martial Law Provisional Council, by the powers invested in it by the Emergency Act of 2001, has unanimously agreed to extend its authority by another five year period. This is a purely temporary measure.
30 January 2007: General Lord Beavoir, LONDURBMARLAUTH, on behalf of MARLPROCO, herewith issues notice that the Provisional Authority will retain its guardianship of the British nation for so long as the present emergency requires, in stewardship for the day when a properly appointed democratic government may take up the reins of power. That is all.
2 February 2002: The Martial Law Provisional Council, by the powers invested in it by the Emergency Act of 2001, has unanimously agreed to extend its authority by another five year period. This is a purely temporary measure.
30 January 2007: General Lord Beavoir, LONDURBMARLAUTH, on behalf of MARLPROCO, herewith issues notice that the Provisional Authority will retain its guardianship of the British nation for so long as the present emergency requires, in stewardship for the day when a properly appointed democratic government may take up the reins of power. That is all.
—BBC announcements from London, Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebook Eurosource
"Your honor," Borbin said, "we must declare the Guildpact a failure and establish martial law, without Boros or wojek assistance. They are a failed institution without a living guildmaster. But we, I can only hope, can fill that void. I move that you, honored judge and wisest of the Azorius, immediately assume the full responsibilities of judicial dictator for the indefinite future. I further move that we immediately issue a compulsory draft of the population, as well as a compulsory draft of the ghosts of Agyrem, to form an army of Azorius that shall be the enforcers of the law. And finally, I move that we make this vote without delay."
—Ravnica Cycle: Dissension
To this point. He had been a problem. Now, Hannibal was a crisis. And in a crisis, Rome took desperate measures. They actually had a system in place when dealing with an emergency of this magnitude. They would forgo their two Consul power-sharing system, and instead temporarily give one man near-total power and authority to be as decisive as he needed and hopefully salvage the situation. This all-powerful position in Rome's government had a name, dictator. It's actually where we get the word.
—Oversimplified, The Second Punic War (part 2)
Real Life
The President during the Period of Communist Rebellion may, by resolution of the Executive Yuan Council, take emergency measures to avert an imminent danger to the security of the State or of the people or to cope with any serious financial or economic crisis, without being subject to the procedural restrictions prescribed in Article 39 or Article 43 of the Constitution
—Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion, appliable from 1949 to 1991, appended to the Constitution of the Republic of China
The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it
—Suspension Clause of the American constitution
When the institutions of the Republic, the independence of the nation, the integrity of its territory, or the fulfillment of its international commitments are under grave and immediate threat and when the proper functioning of the constitutional governmental authorities is interrupted, the President of the Republic shall take the measures demanded by these circumstances after official consultation with the Prime Minister, the presidents of the Assemblies, and the Constitutional Council
—Article 16 of the French constitution
On the basis of Article 48 paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the German Reich, the following is ordered in defense against Communist state-endangering acts of violence:
§ 1. Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further notice. It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom [habeas corpus], freedom of (opinion) expression, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications. Warrants for House searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.
§ 1. Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further notice. It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom [habeas corpus], freedom of (opinion) expression, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications. Warrants for House searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.
—Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State (1933), a.k.a. the Reichstag Fire Decree, which helped pave the way for Nazi Germany
Within days of the confirmation of the first [COVID-19] case in the United States, the White House shut American land borders to nonessential travel, closing the door to almost all migrants ... as well as a pause on green card processing at American consular offices, which [Stephen] Miller told conservative allies in a recent private phone call was only the first step in a broader plan to restrict legal immigration ... One official said the ideas about invoking public health and other emergency powers had been on a “wish list” of about 50 ideas to curtail immigration that Mr. Miller crafted within the first six months of the administration.
—New York Times, "Before Covid-19, Trump Aide Sought to Use Disease to Close Borders
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