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.

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4,605 Articles

Ousted Autocratic Presidents and Their Backers in the Legislative Branch

Machinations of hardliners from Sri Lanka to Hungary, Colombia and more signal the trouble Trump and his supporters could make for the Biden administration.

What Should Congress Focus on for the DNI Confirmation Hearing?

The key policy and topic areas that should be covered in Friday's confirmation hearing for Avril Haines, Biden's nominee to be director of national intelligence.

Lessons from Benghazi: Accountability for the U.S. Capitol Attack

Just like after that attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, there must be accountability for the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Accountability for the failure of law enforcement…
US Vice President Joe Biden holds a file folder and talks with US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, August 4, 2015.

How Samantha Power Can Restore USAID’s Crucial Role in US Foreign Policy

The nomination signals that international cooperation is back in the toolbox for America's pursuit of an equitable, prosperous, and just world.
(FILES) Supporters of US President Donald Trump wear gas masks and military-style apparel as they walk around inside the Rotunda after breaching the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021.

Military Personnel and the Putsch at the U.S. Capitol

If active duty, reserve, retired, or former military personnel participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, how should they be held accountable? Courts martial may be available for…
Facebook logos and images on multiple screens.

December Brought Harbingers of the Regulation Social Media Companies Could Soon Face

Are the winds changing for data-intensive companies, and what is the prevailing mood of technology regulators on both sides of the Atlantic heading into 2021?
A watch tower is seen in the currently closed Camp X-Ray at the U.S. Naval Station on June 27, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Barbed wire can be seen in both the background and foreground of the photo.

On Guantanamo’s 19th Anniversary, A Renewed Call to Close It

Nineteen years ago today, the administration of President George W. Bush sent the first detainees to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center for the purpose of detaining them beyond…
Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Incitement Timeline: Year of Trump’s Actions Leading to the Attack on the Capitol

A highly detailed chronology of the year leading up to the attack on the Capitol.
U.S. Capitol police officers point their guns at a barricaded door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 06, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Insurrectionists peek through the window of the door, which is broken.

Tragedy at the Capitol: Four Questions that Demand Answers

How can the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by one of the largest concentrations of law enforcement and national security personnel in the world, be so quickly overrun?
US Capitol police officers speak with supporters of US President Donald Trump inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.

The Attack on the Capitol: Why It’s Not a Surprise

The Trump-inspired mob who launched an unprecedented siege of the Capitol is a permanent stain on American democracy. What’s worse, it was not unexpected.
Members of the National Guard, holding shields, form a line during the night of January 6. Behind them is the Capitol building.

Why D.C.’s Mayor Should Have Authority Over the D.C. National Guard

Congress should give the mayor of D.C. control over the D.C. National Guard, absent federalization, to prevent the president both from misusing the DCNG as his own personal army…
A newspaper illustration of the vote on the Impeachment of President Johnson in 1868.

The Constitution’s Option for Impeachment After a President Leaves Office

Top impeachment law scholar discusses the options for the 117th Congress.
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