Congress
Just Security’s expert authors offer analysis of U.S. Congress’ role in national security, foreign affairs, the rule of law, and rights. Coverage includes analysis and informational resources related to the legislative process, oversight and investigations of the executive branch, and major debates on the separation of powers and Congress’ constitutional role.
2,468 Articles
No, Making the Iran Deal a Treaty Wouldn’t Have Stopped Trump from Withdrawing from It
Since President Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, legal scholars, elected officials, and political commentators have suggested that the non-binding…
Senator Merkley’s Smart New Alternative AUMF Proposal
Yesterday, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) released a new proposal for an authorization to use military force, or “AUMF.” As Merkley explained in last week’s AUMF hearing before…
With New U.S. Arms Sale Pending–What Happened to Saudi Assurances on Civilian Casualties in Yemen?
To get an arms sale past Congress last year, Saudi Arabia promised $750 million to prevent civilian casualties in Yemen. The civilian death toll has since risen.
Cohen’s Slush Fund is Not Business as Usual—But Business as Usual Needs to Change
President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, sold his access to the president to multinational corporations, including one reportedly controlled by a Russian oligarch,…
A Possible US-EU Agreement on Law Enforcement Access to Data?
[Cross-posted on Lawfare] Attorney General Jeff Sessions is scheduled to fly to Sofia, Bulgaria for a May 22 meeting with senior European law enforcement officials. In the wake…
Enhanced Evasion Techniques
On Thursday, May 17, after only a few hours of debate, the Senate approved Gina Haspel’s nomination as CIA director by a margin of 54 to 45 votes. The vote broke largely, but…
Letter to the Editor: The Twenty-Fifth Amendment Reader’s Guide
Harold Koh and the Yale Law School Rule of Law Clinic should be proud of their work. Released on April 18, the Clinic’s “Reader’s Guide” to Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth…
Contempt of Congress, Contempt by Congress
The latest sideshow stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian collusion is Congressmen Devin Nunes’s (R-Calif.) and Mark Meadows’s (R-N.C.)…
Gina Haspel: Feminist Smokescreen, Not Choice
Over the weekend, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that it would be hypocritical to at once “support women’s empowerment” and oppose the nomination of Gina…
The Diplomats Speak: More Opposition to Gina Haspel’s Nomination to Head the CIA
Above: CIA headquarters. An august group of 115 retired diplomats have now circulated their own letter (reproduced below) in opposition to the nomination of Gina Haspel to lead…
Can An Insider Save CIA From Itself?
As confirmation hearings loom for Gina Haspel to be director of CIA, the focus has understandably been on what actions she might have taken in the Agency’s enhanced interrogation…
More Questions for Gina Haspel—The Record of False CIA Claims about Torture’s “Efficacy”
Recently Katherine Hawkins published a comprehensive set of questions that Gina Haspel, nominee to head the CIA, should be asked during her confirmation hearings (“What the…