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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4,525 Articles
Scales of justice and judge's gavel on wooden table against American flag

Nondelegation and Major Questions Doctrines Can Constrain Power Grabs by Presidents of Both Parties

Enforcing the nondelegation and major questions doctrines can help curb the danger posed by sweeping authority concentrated in a president of either party.
Collage of the Israel-Iran conflict

Collection: Israel-Iran Conflict

Experts analyze critical dimensions of Israel’s strikes relevant responses, covering nuclear diplomacy; strategic, security, and regional implications; and international law.
Soldiers from the 143rd Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Brigade, California National Guard, serving under Title 10 status, establish a security perimeter in Mecca, Calif., June 18, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Chase Murray)

Trump’s Use of Federal Troops in Drug Raid Outside of Los Angeles: An Alarming Escalation

"An alarming escalation of the president's efforts to use the military as a domestic police force. Based on currently available information, it appears to be illegal, as well"
The U.S. Capitol building is seen at sunset on March 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The Trump Administration’s Flawed War Powers Report on Iran and the Need for a Congressional Rebuttal

The White House’s legal justifications for attacking Iran are unconvincing and raise concerns about unauthorized use of force. Congress should push back.
U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, speaks next to a Tesla Cyber Truck and a Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

American Businesses Still Face International Human Rights Obligations, Even as Oversight Diminishes at Home

Even amid domestic retrenchment of business regulation and oversight, corporations must adhere to internationally recognized human rights responsibilities.
Screenshot from Newsom v. Trump hearing in 9th District Court of Appeals (via YouTube)

Posse Comitatus Act Meets the President’s “Protective Powers”: What’s Next in Newsom v. Trump

"Congress has been far more clear than is widely believed about what its view is..."
People demonstrate outside the main campus of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention

Dismantling CDC’s Global Work is Dismantling Our First Line of Biodefense

As the Trump administration plans to weaken the CDC, Americans and the world will become more vulnerable to biological threats.
Flags of USA and Iran

Top Experts’ Backgrounder: Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law

Experts who advised a president on use of force answer a full range of basic questions on the conditions under which action against Iran would be lawful, and what options Congress…
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an Executive Orde

The Legal Defects in the Trump Administration’s Attempts to Deregulate Without Notice and Comment

The Trump administration's efforts to circumvent the APA's notice-and-comment requirements risk setting a damaging precedent.
France's Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu (centre L) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R)

Hidden in the U.S. Army’s New Reform Initiative Is a Warning for Europe

Europe must accept that continued dependence on the United States is not viable and build a fully self-sufficient European defense.
Mounted police officers during the No Kings Day protests on June 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Marches and protests are taking place across the nation in opposition to Trump and recent ICE raids targeting immigrants. (Photo by Cristopher Rogel Blanquet/Getty Images)

The “Unwilling or Unable” Test for Sending U.S. Military to Los Angeles

"The state of California, however, has not yet raised this point in the ongoing litigation. That is a missed opportunity ...."
A U.S. Army reviewing stand continues to be built in front of the White House ahead of the Army's 250th birthday parade and celebration on June 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Tanks and other heavy military equipment have arrived in the Nation's Capital for a military parade in honor of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday and Flag Day. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Military Parade and Protections of the First Amendment

The President’s invocation of purported authority to deploy the military in response to free speech raises alarming applications of untested laws meant only for emergencies.
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