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
Trump v Hawaii: Giving Pretext a Pass
There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the Supreme Court’s majority opinion in Trump v. Hawaii, which upheld the president’s proclamation banning travel to the U.S.…
The Broad Reach of Carpenter v. United States
By focusing on the nature of the information rather than on the telecommunications nitty-gritty used to gather the information or the structure of the database in which the information…
What Is the Next Line of Defense Against Torture?
Gina Haspel’s recent elevation to director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) despite her involvement in the George W. Bush administration’s prisoner abuse program and…
The Trump Administration Must Extend Temporary Protected Status for Yemenis
For those Yemenis affected by it, the upcoming DHS decision on the extension of TPS could literally be a matter of life and death, write three former US ambassadors to Yemen.
Trump as a Russian Target – Through the Eyes of a former CIA Russian Expert
Donald Trump would have been an active target of Russian intelligence since the moment they laid eyes on him for two reasons that come straight from the classical espionage textbook:…
Saudi Arabia’s Misleading Email to Congress After Bombing of MSF Cholera Hospital
On a recent Wednesday night in June, Saudi Arabia’s embassy emailed members of the U.S. Congress providing them something between a false and misleading account of an air strike…
Detention of Migrant Families as “Deterrence”: Ethical Flaws and Empirical Doubts
The government's own statistics prove the very opposite of what the Justice Department just told a federal court about the deterrent effects of family detention. But let's start…
Where Family Separation Began: A Case in El Paso Shows Flores is the Solution, Not the Problem
There is a growing body of evidence that the family separation policy and failure to reunite families is itself a violation of Flores, as one federal magistrate judge in El Paso…
Exigent Circumstances: iOS 12’s USB Restricted Mode and Warrantless iPhone Access
Apple recently confirmed the introduction of a new feature called “USB Restricted Mode” in the latest version of the iPhone’s mobile operating system, iOS 12. If enabled…
The Government Has Yet to Produce Evidence Showing the Travel Ban is About National Security
The very first thing that Solicitor General Noel Francisco told the court at oral argument in Hawaii v. Trump was: “After a worldwide multi-agency review, the President’s acting…
“Zero Tolerance” and the Detention of Children: Torture under International Law
The Trump administration will continue to run afoul of refugee and human rights law unless and until it stops criminalizing refugees and ends the unjustified detention of children.
Dangerous Drone Bill Emerges from Senate Committee
It’s rare that a congressional committee tasked with overseeing homeland security approves a bill that would not only authorize sweeping surveillance, but also could pose a significant…