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
Trump’s Torture Appointees
While Trump’s executive picks have generated considerable publicity due to their support for or history with Bush-era torture and detention policies, his administration’s choices…
How Trump Might Replace Sessions with Pruitt as Attorney General
Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair reports of “two Republicans in regular contact with the White House” who say that President Trump “has discussed a plan to fire…
The End of Pretending
Above: President Donald Trump speaks at CIA headquarters. Editors’ note: this article has been updated to reflect the newly-reported fact that Gina Haspel was not in charge…
More Trouble for Undocumented Immigrants and the Suspension Clause
Back in August 2016, I wrote a lengthy post about the Third Circuit’s decision in Castro v. Department of Homeland Security, which held that recently-arrived undocumented…
The Personnel Crisis Awaiting the Next Secretary of State
Although the personnel change was rumored for months, it was still stunning when President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday morning via Twitter, and…
When Does the Legal Basis for U.S. Forces in Syria Expire?
The State Department announced earlier this year that the “full and complete defeat of ISIS” is a necessary condition for ending U.S. military operations in Syria. But Senators…
DHS’ Constant Vetting Initiative: a Muslim-Ban by Algorithm
Above: President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Late last week, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) wrote to the Department of Homeland Security, urging it…
Trump’s Explanation for His Administration’s Use of Military Force Due Today
As I discuss in a piece over at Defense One, today is the deadline for the Trump administration to provide a detailed explanation to Congress on its legal and policy basis for…
The Lesson the Trump Administration has Failed to Learn about Yemen
Both the Trump and Obama administrations have advanced two fictions over the last three years to obscure U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe. From former Secretary…
The Trump Administration Should Publicly Disclose its New Policy on Lethal Force
On Monday, President Trump is required to submit a report to Congress setting out changes he’s made to US policy governing the use of military force in counterterrorism operations.…
A Year On, Fog of War Not Lifting Over Deadly Raqqa Strikes
In March 2017, a U.S.-led coalition aircraft struck a boarding school in Mansourah, Syria, completely destroying it. Since then, the coalition has maintained that the building…
The Empty Promise of “Waivers” from Trump’s Muslim Ban
Reports from U.S. embassies cast doubt on a central legal defense to the travel ban’s constitutionality: individualized waivers. Statistics show that only two out of 8,406 visa…