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.
4,605 Articles
Military Medical Ethics and Dr. Conley’s Misrepresentations of the President’s Health
"To witness military physicians bending or burying the truth does long-lasting damage to the confidence required for the system to work."
Consequences of Federal Failure: Lessons from New York City in the Pandemic
A city is the form of government best positioned to understand the needs of its constituents. But the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the ways in which local government, even…
Manafort and His Ukraine Patron: “FinCEN Files” Further Illustrate Gaping Holes in Oversight
Leaked documents in a global news investigation reveal suspicious transactions and business practices that undermine US interests.
Five Years On: Military Accountability and the Attack on the MSF Trauma Center in Kunduz
On the fifth anniversary of the tragic attack by the U.S. military on the Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF) trauma center in Kunduz, Afghanistan, a former U.S. military legal adviser…
The U.S. Bears International Responsibility for Forced Sterilization of Women in ICE Detention
A sterilization performed without the patient’s prior, full, free, and informed consent is a human rights violation.
All the President’s Lawsuits: Fraud, Defamation, and the Westfall Act
A sober assessment of the strengths of the president's invocation of the Westfall Act defense in the E. Jean Carroll case, and lack of such a defense in others.
Bill Barr’s Misguided View of US History
His grumble that coronavirus-related restrictions constitute the greatest civil liberties violation since slavery ignores a litany of government abuses.
Trump Can’t Lawfully Use Armed Forces to Sway the Election: Understanding the Legal Boundaries
A deep dive analysis of the constitutional and statutory limits on use of any armed force in connection with the 2020 election, civil unrest, and protests.
Reclaiming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from the Pompeo Commission – Part 2
The panel's lengthy exegesis of the Declaration contains at least six glaring omissions that have real-world consequences.
Reclaiming Human Rights from the Pompeo Commission – Part 1
Its report displays an interpretative sneakiness, invoking the “founding era” and “founding principles” in a highly selective and under-inclusive way.
Justifying Absolute Political Control over DOJ, Barr Promotes Myth of Unaccountable Career Prosecutor
Attorney General William Barr's inaccurate claims denigrating the ability and appropriateness of federal prosecutors to make certain litigation determinations are merely a fig…
UN Experts to Trump Administration: Reproductive Rights are Human Rights
It is crucial to call out US efforts to undermine the UN human rights system and erase the well-established framework of rights protections.