Is the rule of law optional for liberal democratic societies? In the wake of the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, the Bush administration seemed to say that it is. And in the wake of the attacks on London in July of 2005, Tony Blair has indicated that the rule of law is a luxury, dispensable when the going gets rough. In particular, he has indicated that judges have to be reined in from their disposition to enforce the rule of law against the executive, even if this requires both legislating how they are to balance liberty against security and amending the Human Rights Act.
