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
The US is Focusing on Counterterrorism in Libya, at Human Rights’ Expense
This article is the first in a new series we are producing in partnership Columbia Law School's Human Rights Institute that features the voices of experts and advocates from…
All Politics Is Local…and So Is National Security
The current public kerfuffle about White House security clearances has focused the country’s attention on the sensitivity of federal government information and the potential…
The Saudi War in Yemen Is Strengthening Terrorism
Saudi Arabia’s U.S.-backed military campaign in Yemen not only drives the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, but also deepens the terrorist threat to the U.S. And American…
Sessions’ Firing McCabe Violated His Promise to Recuse
Most focus on what the Attorney General said in his statement of recusal in March 2017. What has been overlooked is when Sessions promised the Senate, under oath, that he would…
The Unintended “Foreign Agents”
“Foreign agents” are suddenly in our midst – or so it seems. Paul Manafort was indicted, in part, for failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).…
Why Holding Asylum Seekers Without Parole is Unlawful
Alexi, an 18-year-old man from Honduras, has been locked behind bars in an orange jumpsuit in York County Prison in Pennsylvania since November. Why? Because he sought protection…
“License to Kill” in Salisbury: State-sponsored assassinations and the jus ad bellum
Above: U.K. Ambassador to the U.N. Jonathan Allen speaks at an urgent meeting of the Security Council on the recent nerve agent attack in Salisbury, U.K. on March 14, 2018. (Spencer…
Does the Oakland Mayor Face Legal Liability for Warning About ICE Raids?
On Feb. 24, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf stood in front of television cameras and informed city residents that “multiple sources” had told her that U.S. Immigration and Customs…
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…