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

How Chief Justice Chase in Johnson Impeachment Decided on Witnesses
There's a path for Chief Justice Roberts to weigh in on calling witnesses and on executive privilege.

Hearsay and the Impeachment Trial
How big an issue is it that the Senate will allow hearsay objections as a basis to exclude evidence from the record?

Constitutional Crabgrass: President Trump’s Defenders Distort the Impeachment Clause
Leading scholar on history of impeachment pens a scathing critique of Dershowitz argument. Calls it "brazenly wrong."

What Sort of “Abuse of Power” Would Amount to an Impeachable Offense?
Philip Bobbitt writes that the Ukraine allegations amount to an impeachable abuse of power, but not the way some have framed it.

Pumping the Brakes a Bit on FISA “Reform”
Critics of FISA on both the left and the right are seizing on the DOJ inspector general's report as an opportunity to significantly alter FISA.

Video of Expert Panel: Reforming the FISA Process — Proposals for the Future
Full video of public conversation featuring Liza Goitein, Andrew McCabe, Julian Sanchez, Adam Serwer (moderator), and Andrew Weissmann.

Four Fundamental Flaws in President Trump’s Impeachment Trial Memo
Leading impeachment law scholar pens a scathing critique of President Trump’s Trial Memo sent to senators on Monday.

15 Questions the Media Should Be Asking Lev Parnas
A list of specific questions reporters (and perhaps members of Congress, if the time comes) should be asking Lev Parnas.

GAO Decided Trump’s Hold on Ukraine Funding Was Illegal and It Wasn’t a Tough Call
In addition to the larger implications GAO's decision has for the Senate impeachment trial, a close reading of yesterday's report provides some important new insights.

Executive Privilege Is No Bar to John Bolton’s Testimony in the Senate
President Donald Trump’s impeachment team reportedly believes that executive privilege poses “significant and important” issues that could prevent former National Security…

Fixing FISA after the Carter Page Report
[Just Security is publishing a series on concrete proposals for FISA reform. This series is in conjunction with a public event that we are organizing with the Reiss Center on…

Three Things to Look For in the 2020 “Worldwide Threat Assessment” from the U.S. Intelligence Community
A year ago, very few Americans had ever heard of the U.S. intelligence community’s annual worldwide threats assessment and briefing to Congress. This year, the country should…