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
Concerning the Congressional Prohibition on U.S.-Russia Bilateral Military Cooperation
[Editor’s Note from Ryan Goodman: On Thursday, I wrote about a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, which stipulates that no funds may be “used for…
Does a Years’ Old Congressional Statute Prevent a Trump-Putin Agreement for Military Cooperation?
"Pentagon officials may feel a sense of security that the congressional statute forecloses certain options. But does it?"
Tech Pressure on Privacy: National Security Requires a Fuller View of Corporate Social Responsibility
The corporate world and the U.S. national security apparatus increasingly find themselves in conflict over technology and expertise, with implications for the effectiveness of…
Human Trafficking’s Vicious Link to Anti-Immigration Action
It is logically irreconcilable to claim a position opposing the brutality of modern-day slavery while simultaneously pursuing an anti-immigration policy that perpetuates it.
Cybersecurity and the 2020 Census: Are We Prepared?
A U.S. Census Bureau employee uses a UNIVAC 1105 computer to tabulate data following the 1960 Census. Image: U.S. government via Wikimedia Commons. Just Security readers may find…
Exclusive: Trump White House’s Intelligence Chief Is Leaving
Michael Barry is the latest staffer on the powerful council to depart as National Security Adviser John Bolton brings on his own team.
“We Could Hold Them for 100 Years If the Conflict Lasts for 100 Years”
Last week, Justice Department lawyer Ronald Wiltsie told a federal district court in Washington, D.C. that the Trump administration is entitled to imprison detainees for 100 years…
Helsinki Summit: A Time for Choosing—Three observations by former senior CIA officer
"This is a time of choosing. Government officials, senior and junior alike, take an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States, not to obey any single President.…
The Trump-Bolton Misdirection on Russian Extradition: Plenty of Legal Options Exist to Gain Custody of Russian Suspects
John Bolton is wrong. Extradition and other legal options are potentially available to gain custody of indicted Russian hackers. "In their Helsinki meeting, President Trump can—and…
Exclusive: Russia Hawk Axed From National Security Council
Shortly before Donald Trump detonated a NATO summit, shanked the beleaguered British prime minister and prepped for a face-to-face love session with Vladimir Putin, his White House…
President Trump’s Stain on Brett Kavanaugh and How to Remove It
A debate has erupted over Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s views on legal issues which could arise out of the pending investigations of the man who has nominated him for the Supreme Court,…
Setting the Record Straight: Brett Kavanaugh’s Views on Criminal Investigation of the President
An important dimension of the Senate’s consideration of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court involves the judge’s views of a president’s immunities…