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.

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A military officer walks from the entrance to Camp VI on June 25, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Proposed 2019 Start Date for 9/11 Trial Faces Skepticism from Gitmo Judge

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — The military commission proceeding against five detainees allegedly responsible for the September 11th terrorist attacks is slowly inching…
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters during a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. People crowd around him holding Trump signs.

Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (August 18-August 25)

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…
Trump delivers remarks following a meeting on infrastructure at Trump Tower, August 15, 2017 in New York City. Standing alongside him are Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney.

No, the GOP Has Not “Rushed to Defend Trump” on Charlottesville—But Silence Can Be Deadly

A recent article in The Atlantic, titled “The Republican Establishment Stands Behind Trump” describes the reaction of “the institutional Republican Party” to the president’s…
West Point Military Academy taken from across the Hudson River.

West Point Grad: Rename Lee Barracks

West Point, my alma mater, is a source of great personal pride. It always has been, and it always will be. The institution has recently taken several steps worthy of particularly…

10 Similarities in David Duke’s and Pres. Trump’s Unscripted Remarks on Charlottesville

President Donald Trump’s remarks on Charlottesville during a news conference last Tuesday received applause from white nationalists including David Duke and Richard Spencer.…

Sonic “Attacks” on US Diplomats in Cuba: Don’t Rush to Conclusions

Reports of “health attacks” in Cuba which left several American and Canadian diplomats with health problems and hearing loss has led to wide and dramatic speculation.  Several…

How To Punish A President

There are many allegations against Donald Trump that may give rise some day to either criminal prosecution or congressional sanction. But what precisely are the available options…
White supremacists attack counter protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia during their "Unite the Right" rally on August 12, 2017.

A Post-Charlottesville Reading List

 Top image: A man makes a slashing motion across his throat toward counter-protesters as he marches with neo-Nazis and other rascist groups during the ‘Unite the Right’…
The North Korean flag and the American flag side by side. Between the two flags is a large “X” red light with straying fragmented strands of red light.

The Test Case for Presidential War Power: North Korea and Trump

My friend Marty Lederman has a characteristically useful post up about one of many important legal questions surrounding options in the current stand-off between the United States…

Bringing the AUMF Debate Back to its Constitutional Roots, and Recent History

A U.S. Army howitzer firing at Islamic State positions in Iraq in 2016. Last Friday, Rita Siemion published an insightful analysis of the Trump Administration’s first meaningful…

A Round-Up of Just Security’s Coverage of Trump’s Trans Ban

It’s been over two weeks since President Donald Trump tweeted his decision to ban transgender people from serving from the military. On the Wednesday it happened, the White House…

Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (August 4-August 11)

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…
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