Russell Spivak

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Russell Spivak is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has previously interned in the Office of the Chief Prosecutor in the Office of Military Commissions.

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American military history

Military Foraging: Historical Practice and Contemporary Advice

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s prudent navigation of nascent legal concepts to diminish his force’s reliance on supply lines and forage for provisions enabled battlefield success. Today, Grant’s actions provide a cogent legal blueprint for contemporary military leaders in future operational planning.

Federal Law Enforcement

Foreign Actors in U.S. Courts: Beginning an Important Conversation

The question of Russian interference in the American political system is not going away. Even as the various investigations of Russian “meddling” in the 2016 election wind down, concerns about the security of the 2020 election abound. Alongside these concerns, another question has started to mature, mostly in legal circles for now: the question of Russian exploitation of the American and international legal systems.

Detention & Guantanamo

Summary: Qassim Filings on Habeas Claim

Khalid Ahmed Qassim, a Guantanamo Bay detainee from Yemen who made international headlines by writing in the Guardian about his hunger strike protesting his treatment, submitted multiple filings to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Feb. 22: a Joint Status Report (alongside the Department of Justice), a motion in limine, and a prehearing brief. This post will summarize each of these three filings.