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.
4,711 Articles
Congress Tackles the “100-Mile” Border Zone for Federal Checkpoints
A long-festering issue affecting the entire U.S. border on the north, south, east, and west is finally getting congressional attention: the so-called “100-mile border zone”…
Democratic Debates Round 2: Time to Ask About America’s Courts
When the Democratic U.S. presidential candidates face off in Detroit for their second debates July 30-31, they or the moderators should raise what will be one of the most pressing…
The U.S. Military Is Increasingly Politicized. Active-Duty Personnel Need to Prepare.
When Americans watch news coverage of any contemporary event, no one’s surprised to see it turn political. We live in a time when we can expect almost any topic – whether it’s…
The Missing State Department Memo on US Officials’ Possible Aiding and Abetting Saudi War Crimes
Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to consider dueling bills on Saudi Arabia. A bill sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), would block arms sales to the…
Unsealed Documents in Special Counsel Mueller’s Investigation [Updated]
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has prosecuted the Russia investigation by bringing charges against a number of former Trump campaign officials and their associates, and against…
Trump Builds Support for Border Wall on the Backs of Women
By selectively tapping into concerns about women’s rights to build support for his wall, President Trump is fueling misconceptions about human trafficking and hindering efforts…
35 Questions for Congress to Ask Robert Mueller (+ Questions from Readers)
Former FBI (Rangappa), Justice Department and NSC (Geltzer), and Pentagon (Goodman) officials team up to suggest questions for Mueller.
House Should Prepare Criminal Referral of A.G. Barr for Lying to Congress
Mueller’s testimony puts not only the President’s job and criminal liability on the line. Attorney General Barr is in jeopardy too.
After Publishing Strong Evidence of Trump’s Campaign Finance Crimes, DOJ Closes Case Without Explanation
Every American should have an opportunity to scrutinize the complete body of evidence of Donald Trump’s campaign finance crimes, not just the now-public search warrant applications…
Why the Ghost Keys ‘Solution’ to Encryption is No Solution
The use of applications such as Signal, WhatsApp, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger for communications secured by end-to-end encryption has exploded over the past few years. Two…
Criminal Prosecutions and Illegal Entry: A Deeper Dive
A look at how laws that criminalize entry and reentry into the U.S. actually work in practice and how they have been used to punish asylum seekers and migrants in violation of…
What Did We Learn About Mark Esper and How He Views the World?
From Iran to Afghanistan to collective self-defense, the big takeaways from the Senate confirmation hearing for Mark Esper, nominated by the president to be defense secretary.…