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
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 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…
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 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…
No, the President Cannot Strike North Korea Without Congressional Approval
A CNN story on Wednesday asks: “Can the President launch a military strike on his own [on North Korea]?”–i.e., without further congressional authorization?…
A Legal and Policy Risk Analysis of the Erik Prince Plan to Privatize War in Afghanistan
Trump administration officials reportedly are considering a plan to privatize a significant portion of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Erik Prince, founder of the notorious security…