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
Nuts and Bolts of the IG Report on Comey: Correcting Misconceptions
On the morning of Aug. 29, I finished up my lecture notes for my first day teaching a class called “Law of Secrecy.” I would touch on classification, leaking, prepublication…
The Pattern and Practice of Trump’s Assaults on the Intelligence Community
Just Security editors—Joshua Geltzer (former DOJ, NSC) and Ryan Goodman (former DOD)—teamed up to: (1) catalog the specific ways in which President Trump has undercut the U.S.…
What if a President Committed Genocide or Other Atrocity Crimes?
Ambassador David Scheffer writes: Whether or not the Justice Department opinions are correct about presidential immunity from indictment for ordinary crimes … Lawmakers should…
The Once and Future Threat of Nuclear Weapon Testing
Some Trump administration officials have signaled hostility to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and an interest in the United States resuming nuclear weapon testing, which could…
Protections Fall for Vietnamese Immigrants as Trump Pushes Deportations
The Trump administration has reinterpreted a 2008 agreement with Vietnam in multiple ways to expand the categories of refugees it can deport. The effort appears to have affected…
U.S. Sanctions Against Iran’s Foreign Minister and International Law
Sanctions against a foreign minister are a provocation that impede diplomacy. Their legality under international law also turns out to be a complex issue.
“Domestic Terrorism” Bills Create More Problems Than They Solve
Lack of will and focus are the real impediments to investigating and prosecuting perpetrators. What's more, proposals to expand the definition of “terrorism” could harm activity…
New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government’s Prepublication Review System
For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information…
U.S.-Turkey “Safe Zone” Likely to Add Fuel to Syria Conflict
"While there is a significant risk that a new arrangement will further destabilize this highly volatile region and threaten the security of millions of civilians, there is also…
Blame Trump, Not the U.S. Code, for His Abuse of Emergency Authority
It began in earnest with President Donald Trump’s invocation of the National Emergencies Act in an effort to grab money to build a border wall. It reemerged with Trump’s reference…
“Offshore Processing” in Guatemala: A Deeper Look at the U.S. Asylum Deal
U.S. agreement to "offshore" asylum seekers (of different nationalities) to Guatemala bears striking similarity to Australia's policy of offshoring asylum seekers to an island…
Expert Summaries of Mueller Report: A Collection
Top legal experts provide condensed, brief summaries of the Special Counsel's report.