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.
4,605 Articles
The Resignation of George Selim and the Implications for CVE in the U.S.
George Selim, the first head of the countering violent extremism (CVE) office at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and of the federal CVE task force, resigned July 28.…
The Troubled Status of Russian Sanctions Legislation—with the President’s Signing Statement Attached
[This article was first published on Aug. 3, 2017 at 9:55am ET and updated on Aug. 4, 2017 at 7:10am ET] Just yesterday, an unhappy President Donald Trump signed H.R. 3364, America’s…
The Important Legal Questions Regarding the Now-Shuttered “Covert” Program to Arm Syrian Rebels
Mark Mazzetti, Adam Goldman and Michael Schmidt report: The end came quickly for one of the costliest covert action programs in the history of the C.I.A. During a White House briefing…
Trump’s Trans Ban is Bad for Military Readiness
An Army staff sergeant with multiple combat deployments, in charge of an infantry squad. A West Point grad innovating forward-based personnel support in a combat zone. A Lieutenant…
Trump Administration Says Its Broad Powers Under the 2001 AUMF Are Plenty
Just as Congress was showing signs that it might, after 16 years, start to rein in the nation’s growing list of post-9/11 wars, the Trump administration told Congress no thanks,…
The National Security Law Podcast: Military Commissions, Military Officers in the Cabinet, the Laws of War, and More
This week’s episode certainly has a military theme. Professors Chesney and Vladeck start off with a surprisingly (or is it disturbingly?) lengthy discussion of the writ…
Could Congress Censure Donald Trump?
A report from the Washington Post last night suggests that President Donald Trump dictated a purposefully misleading statement released by his son about a meeting with a Russian…
Senate Should Vote No on ‘Torture Memo’ Author
The Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is expected to vote on the nomination of Steven Bradbury to be general counsel for the Department of Transportation…
In First Move as White House Chief of Staff, Kelly Fires Scaramucci
Hours after being sworn in as the White House Chief of Staff, retired Gen. John Kelly fired Anthony Scaramucci, the brand new White House communications director, according to…
Representative Ted Lieu in Defense of Global Justice
As mentioned last week by Jane Stromseth in her terrific post “Why the U.S. needs the Office of Global Criminal Justice Led by a Senate-Confirmed Ambassador-at-Large,” the…
Your Tweet is My Command
My friend Phil Carter has written an excellent piece for Slate, pointing out the institutional dangers of disregarding President Trump’s recent series of tweets that…
Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (July 21-July 28)
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of…