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.
4,757 Articles
The UN Yemen Report and Siege Warfare
Following the UN Human Rights Council report on Yemen, experts provide detailed analysis of how international humanitarian law rules on starvation, proportionality, and precautions…
18 Years After 9/11, We Face a New International Terrorist Threat
"We as a society should be talking about a new form of international terrorism—white supremacist terrorism—rather than insisting on calling it 'domestic terrorism.'"
Trump and Giuliani’s Quest for Fake Ukraine “Dirt” on Biden: An Explainer
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence last week gave an odd response to a question about whether the United States is withholding $250 million of aid for Ukraine until that country helps…
Why a Judge’s Terrorism Watchlist Ruling is a Game Changer: What Happens Next
Leading expert and author of a book on the subject, Jeffrey Kahn explains what happens now that a court declared a major terrorist watchlist unconstitutional.
Funding the Border Wall Will Diminish Quality of Life for Service Members–Here’s How
Last May, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) filed an amicus brief in the border wall litigation – El Paso v. Trump – on behalf of military service members. In…
Trump Cuts “Muscle” from European Defense to Fund Border Wall
The Trump administration is taking $770 million from the European Deterrence Initiative, a program created to shore up European defense after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Q&A on Court Decision Invalidating Administration’s Terrorism Watchlist
Expert Backgrounder on the big questions coming out of the court's ruling. The case involved US citizens. How might the ruling affect foreign nationals? What were the judge's key…
How the GOP’s Internal Politics of Raiding Military Construction Projects Will Play Out
Former Pentagon/National Security Council official Luke Hartig analyzes Secretary Esper's plan and how it may play out with specific members of Congress.
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…