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.
4,845 Articles

Human Rights in the Populist Era
This piece is adapted from the authors article, The Populist Challenge to Human Rights, published in the Journal of Human Rights Practice. The world as we in the human rights…

What next for Raqqa?
The military battle for Raqqa city appears to be over. The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), with support from the US-led coalition, seized the Raqqa National Hospital, one of the…

Responsibility and the Encryption Debate: A Response to DAG Rosenstein
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Last week, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein gave a speech about encryption at the U.S. Naval Academy, solidifying the Trump administration’s…

AG Sessions’ Shifting and False Statements to Congress on Russia
Attorney General Jeff Sessions will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for an oversight hearing. This is the first time Sessions will come before the Senate…
Recap of Recent Pieces on Just Security (Oct. 7-Oct. 13)
Iran Nuclear Agreement Marty Lederman, Don’t Believe the Hype: Trump Is Not “Decertifying” the Iran Deal Tess Bridgeman, What the White House Announcement on Iran Deal Really…

With Blinders On?: How International Law Casebooks Teach Students in the United States
The United States disagrees with many countries, including key allies, on important questions of international law, including the geographical scope of armed conflict, the extraterritorial…

Terrorist Financing: A Backgrounder
Ed. note. This post is the latest in our series on the U.S. Supreme Court case Jesner. v. Arab Bank, a case that is slated to resolve the question of whether corporations can…

Responding to Goodman’s Memo to the Human Rights Community: Context is Critical
I write to respond to Ryan Goodman’s recent post, “Why the Laws of War Apply to Drone Strikes Outside ‘Areas of Active Hostilities,’” and to remind readers where…

What Does the Presidential Records Act Have to Say About Private Email Use?
Over the last several weeks, there have been a number of news stories outlining the use of private email accounts and devices by members of the Trump administration. Politico reported…

My Priorities As UN Special Rapporteur on Counter Terrorism: The Problem of Permanent Emergencies
French soldiers patrolling a street of Saint Denis, France, during an anti-terrorist raid on November 18, 2015. France has been under a government-declared state of emergency…
Addendum to My “Memo to the Human Rights Community” (on drone strikes outside of “hot battlefields”)
On Wednesday, I published an essay at Just Security titled, “Why the Laws of War Apply to Drone Strikes Outside “Areas of Active Hostilities” (A Memo to the Human Rights…

Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (September 29-October 6)
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…