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
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…
Trump Admin’s Distorted Data Doesn’t Prove Its Cruel Border Policy Deters Migration
The Trump administration's data on border security doesn’t prove the cause and effect of its "zero-tolerance" policy that DHS is touting.
The Real-Life Consequences of the (Now Lawful) Travel Ban
This is how the third version of Trump’s travel ban, the one that the Supreme Court says is lawful, affects one person. One American. One family. As an immigration lawyer,…
Trump’s Militia Pardon is Another Blow to Federal Law Enforcement
News that Trump has pardoned two cattle ranchers who committed arson on public lands should alarm anyone who is committed to our legal institutions.
Mueller Lacks Authority to Indict Trump
Whatever one’s views on the ultimate questions of whether a sitting president may constitutionally be indicted and for what offenses, they are as a practical (and legal) matter…