Executive Branch

Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis of the U.S. executive branch related to national security, rights, and the rule of law. Analysis and informational resources focus on the executive branch’s powers and their limits, and the actions of the president, administrative agencies, and federal officials.

Highlights:

Gavel and scales with a US flag in the background as symbols of a jurisdiction.

Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

A public resource tracking all the legal challenges to the Trump administration's executive orders and actions.
Binders of executive orders stacked on a desk.

Collection: Just Security’s Coverage of Trump Administration Executive Actions

Coverage of key developments, including in concise “What Just Happened” expert explainers, legal and policy analysis, and more. Check back frequently for updates.
Department of Justice building against twilgiht sky

What Just Happened: The Trump Administration’s Dismissal of Voting Rights Lawsuits

Retreat from voting rights enforcement and efforts to tighten access to the ballot mark a rupture with the Civil Rights Division’s traditional role.
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The Just Security Podcast: What’s Next for U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Assistance?

Expert panel considers the proposed restructuring of the State Department and unpacks the implications for U.S. foreign policy, what's at stake, and what lies ahead.
Close-up shot of U.S. money and flag

How Trump’s Law Firm Settlements Circumvent Congress and Violate Federal Spending Laws

The Trump administration has operated outside the appropriations process and congressional oversight through its law firm settlements.
IMAGES (left to right): Natural disaster and its consequences (via Getty Images); In this picture taken on September 28, 2022, an internally displaced flood-affected family sits outside their tent at a makeshift tent camp in Jamshoro district of Sindh province (Photo by Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images; Trees smolder and burn during the Dixie fire near Greenville, California on August 3, 2021. – Numerous fires are raging through the state’s northern forests, as climate change makes wildfire season longer, hotter and more devastating. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Just Security’s Climate Archive

A catalog of articles analyzing the diplomatic, political, legal, security, and humanitarian consequences of the international climate crisis.
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4,499 Articles
Computer chip with U.S. flag

The Law Already Supports AI in Government — RAG Shows the Way

Retrieval-Augmented Generation offers federal agencies a way to build AI systems today within legal frameworks that already exist.
Judge gavel with american flag on wooden table

When the Executive Defies the Judiciary: How Federal Courts Can Enforce Their Orders Without the Marshals

Federal courts possess a number of tools to ensure the U.S. government is held responsible for failing to enforce or execute court orders.
Sen. Patrick Leahy sits in front of a poster with examples of Russian-created Facebook pages

Is the U.S. Abandoning the Fight Against Foreign Information Operations?

The Trump administration's policy shift paves the way for foreign propaganda to flourish, leaving Europe to step into the breach.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth talks with Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez in front of a Panama Canal sign.

Ambiguity Is Not Authorization: The Neutrality Treaty Does Not Justify U.S. Military Intervention in Panama

U.S. Military intervention in Panama would violate fundamental international norms and find no justification in the Neutrality Treaty.
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The Just Security Podcast: Discussion of Stephen Miller Remarks on Suspension of Habeas Corpus & Path Ahead

An assessment of Stephen Miller's recent remarks on the suspension of habeas corpus and the path ahead for courts and members of Congress.
A cherry tree in bloom near the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

A Pyrrhic Victory: Initial Supreme Court Gain for Trump on Alien Enemies Act May End in Administration’s Loss

An emerging consensus among federal judges on the AEA's application increases the odds for the Trump administration's loss at the Supreme Court.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), accompanied by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) (L) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) (2nd-L)

In Congress, a Welcome, But Flawed, Step to Stop Trump’s Transfers to Torture

The El Salvador 502B resolution risks falsely drawing distinctions about the applicability of human rights based on immigration status.
An overhead view of the Pentagon building in Washington, DC.

Hegseth Promises to Save the Pentagon Billions of Dollars. Here’s What Actually Could.

If the Trump administration wants to end wasteful Pentagon spending, it should reform the many faltering weapons programs and review its contractor ecosystem.
Bitcoin cryptocurrency on the U.S. flag

How Congress Can Stop the Looming Crypto Disaster

Legislative and administrative accommodation of the crypto industry pose fundamental challenges to control over money and credit.
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele

The Dirty Deal with El Salvador

What’s known about the agreement between the United States and El Salvador when it comes to CECOT prison, and why sworn testimony may be needed to fill in the gaps.

The U.S.-Ukraine Agreement: Legality and Transparency

The recently announced mineral deal is likely a lawful “sole executive agreement” that the president need not submit to Congress, but subsequent implementing agreements are…

The Just Security Podcast: Keeping Track of the Big Picture–Challenges to Press Freedom and Beyond

A discussion with Rebecca Hamilton about the use of State power and how to identify linkages between individual developments and broader trends in press freedom and beyond.
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