A lame duck president has little actual authority to order something as earth-shaking as martial law. While technically he is still in command until the inauguration, his title means less than that of the president-elect.
I doubt any president would get support from the military to enforce martial law when his term was formally in its last days. In fact, any attempt to do so might be just the impetus needed to install the new president early.
his title means less than that of the president-elect.
Uhm, no it doesn’t. The president-elect is powerless.
For a case study, look up the transition between Herbert Hoover and FDR.