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.

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2,468 Articles
Three CSX Transportation coal trains sit in a rail yard June 3, 2014 in Pikeville, Kentucky.

Greenhouse Gaslighting: Deceptive Moderation and West Virginia v. EPA

"Big federal legislation like the Clean Air Act ... [is] the direct and fundamental product of American democracy. Unlike the major questions doctrine."
Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testifies during the sixth hearing by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 28, 2022 in Washington, DC.

The January 6th Hearings: Criminal Evidence Tracker Sixth Edition

The January 6th Select Committee’s sixth public hearing on Tuesday featured explosive testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows. She…
Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is sworn in to testify as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, DC, June 28, 2022. (Photo by SHAWN THEW/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

For US Independence Day, January 6th Hearings Reveal Authoritarianism’s Achilles Heel

Donald Trump’s failure to overturn the 2020 election wasn’t inevitable. It depended on individual decisions amid mass mobilization.
National flags in front of United Nations building in New York City.

Meeting the Challenges of International Organizations’ New Threat Environment

Analysis of and recommendations for risk-mitigation planning, bolstering statutory immunity, international accountability, managing litigation & more.
Steven Engel, former Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, Jeffrey Rosen, former Acting Attorney General, and Richard Donoghue, former Acting Deputy Attorney General, talk as they take their seats to testify before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 23, 2022 in Washington, DC.

In Advance of the Snap Hearing … the Jan. 6 Criminal Evidence Tracker Fifth Edition

Tracking two federal crimes and one Georgia state crime with evidence presented by the House Select Committee investigating January 6th.
Nuclear plant chimneys displaying flag of Iran with according text. Energy pollution accidents in a country concept.

Walking Iran Back from the Nuclear Brink

Bold action is needed now to salvage the Iran nuclear deal.
Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling are sworn in during the fourth hearing held by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 21, 2022 in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC.

The January 6th Hearings: Criminal Evidence Tracker Fourth Edition

Tracking two federal crimes and one Georgia state crime with evidence presented by the House Select Committee investigating January 6th.
An image of former President Donald Trump speaking on the phone is displayed during the third hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Failing to Prosecute Trump Reflects – and Feeds – US Rule of Law Erosion

Prosecution of subordinates but not Trump, writes a former federal prosecutor, "threatens the idea of an impartial legal system."
An image of former Vice President Mike Pence speaking on a cell phone on the night of January 6, 2021 is displayed during the third hearing of the US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 16, 2022.

The January 6th Hearings: Criminal Evidence Tracker Third Edition

In its third public hearing Thursday, the January 6 Select Committee continued to establish a powerful criminal case that we analyze in the third edition of our criminal evidence…
An image of John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani is displayed on a screen during the third hearing held by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 16, 2022 in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. In the image, Eastman is talking at a podium with the sign “Save America” while Giuliani stands next to him smiling at him. American flags wave in the background. The image was taken on January 6th, 2021.

8 Top Former Prosecutors, Senior DOJ Officials on Key New Evidence in Effort to Pressure Pence

The Select Committee presented new evidence of Trump's knowledge that his plan to pressure Pence was illegal. An assessment of its significance for criminal liability.
Image: BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - MARCH 24, 2019: A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter walks past destroyed vehicles in the final ISIL encampment on March 24, 2019 in Baghouz, Syria. The Kurdish-led and American-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) declared on March 23 the "100 percent territorial defeat" of the so-called Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The group once controlled vast areas across Syria and Iraq, a population of up to 12 million, and a "caliphate" that drew tens of thousands of foreign nationals to join its ranks. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Al-Kurdi Capture Raises Thorny Detention Issues

The capture raises a host of issues on detention and prosecution of terrorists in areas where the US does not have a large ground presence.
Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stand after to reading the final certification of Electoral College votes cast in November's presidential election during a joint session of Congress.

Backgrounder on Alternate Electors Scheme: Federal and State Criminal Investigations, and Civil Suits

Information on federal and state criminal laws that might apply to false alternate electors plan in 2020 election, and ongoing litigation.
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