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
Japan’s Definition of Armed Attack and ‘Bloody Nose’ Strikes Against North Korea
There has been an important discussion in the last couple of weeks over the legality of possible limited strikes, part of a so-called “bloody nose” strategy, by the United…
Episode 56 of the National Security Law Podcast: The State of the Uniom Is…ExStravagant!
You might not want to watch the State of the Union tonight, but don’t miss this episode of the podcast! This week we cover: The missing Russia sanctions? A statute enacted…
Five Questions the Nunes Memo Better Answer
The House Intelligence Committee has voted to release the Nunes Memo, which allegedly outlines widespread abuses by the DOJ and FBI in obtaining a surveillance order against former…
One Year Later — New Remarks by Senior State Dep’t Official Discharged by Trump
[Introduction by Ryan Goodman, co-editor-in-chief: One year ago, Thomas Countryman delivered Farewell Remarks to his colleagues at the State Department. Days before, he and five…
On “Releasing The Memo”
In the rapidly escalating war between the GOP and the FBI, a number of House Republicans appear to believe they’ve discovered their own atomic bomb: A memorandum produced…
You Don’t Need to Know What’s in the Nunes Memo to Worry About Its Release
President Donald Trump has reportedly thrown his support behind the movement to #ReleaseTheMemo. It’s perhaps not surprising that a trending Twitter campaign has received a warm…
Getting Intelligence Reform Right This Time: New Threats Bring New Opportunities
The United States’ belated realization that foreign powers can wreak havoc on the American political process is already prompting discussions of how to thwart future interference…
Talking Up a “Perjury Trap,” Trump’s Team Prepares a Defense for the President
Although President Trump confidently declared that he is willing to speak to special counsel Robert Mueller under oath, and is even “looking forward to it,” his principal lawyer…
Three Insights into Attempted Firing of Mueller and Obstruction of Justice
Special counsel Robert Mueller arrives at the U.S. Capitol for closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2017 to discuss the firing of former FBI…
Collective Self-Defense and the “Bloody Nose Strategy”: Does it Take Two to Tango?
The Japanese people and their government have reason to be nervous. Last year, North Korea conducted two ballistic missile tests over Japan. If that was not enough, the U.S. Government…
Could Trump Have “Directed” Mueller’s Removal?
There’s a good deal of ambiguity in the Times’ new story about the President’s effort to “direct” the removal of Special Counsel Mueller last June. …
Timeline of Trump and Obstruction of Justice: Key Dates and Events
Did President Donald Trump or other U.S. officials engage in an obstruction of justice with respect to the Russia investigation? There are three scenarios which raise that question.…