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
Just Security Authors and Yemeni Human Rights Leaders Detained–now Released–by Saudi-Led Forces
Monday, two prominent human rights advocates, Radhya Almutawakel and Abdulrasheed Alfaqih, the founders of the NGO Mwatana for Human Rights, were detained at Seyoun airport by…
Not the Final Word
Can a sitting president be indicted? The public should be skeptical of the argument that a president can’t be, which frequently relies on two opinions by the Justice Department’s…
Paul Manafort = Evidence of Collusion
"The following facts essentially speak for themselves. Simply put, any fair reading of the public record would surely come to the conclusion that there is significant evidence…
The Complicated Truths of the DOJ IG Report
The DOJ IG report forces readers to hold multiple competing thoughts in your head at the same time.
Letter to the Editor: Why Larger Defense Budgets Don’t Need to Come at the Expense of “Soft Power”
In his recent post (“The National Security Threat of Trump’s Defense Budget”) Bishop Garrison argues that the Trump administration’s proposed increases to the defense budget…
The Department of Defense’s Report on Civilian Casualties: A Step Forward in Transparency?
While the Pentagon's new report on civilian casualties is a step in the right direction, future DoD reports should include more detail on specific incidents, including discrepancies…
Testimony from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Hearing on Election Interference
Ryan Goodman, Just Security‘s co-editor-in-chief, is testifying on Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of its hearing on, “Election Interference:…
Letter to the Editor: A Perilous Peace Between the Koreas
The peace initiatives involving the United States and the two Koreas are rightly welcomed given the long history of conflict and division. There are however certain unspoken realities…
How “Yanny” Versus “Laurel” Explains Today’s Politics
It doesn’t matter if you hear “Laurel” or “Yanny.” But it matters a whole lot if you can’t fathom why someone might disagree with you on immigration, or health care,…
What If Police Use ‘Rekognition’ Without Telling Defendants?
At least two US law enforcement departments -- and Motorola, which sells equipment to the government -- have already purchased access to Amazon’s “Rekognition” system. This…
Will Trump Administration Claim Congress Authorized Force against Iran?–Analysis of Existing Statutory Authority and New Proposals
Could recent Trump administration comments indicate an attempt to justify war on grounds beyond Iran’s nuclear program? If so, would the administration be able to make a serious…
OLC’s Formal (and Remarkably Broad) Defense of the April Syria Strikes
This morning, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel posted a formal, 22-page opinion, concluding that the April 13 airstrikes on Syria were lawful.