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.
4,594 Articles

After the AUMF: Iraq and al Qaeda
On Tuesday, the Obama administration announced its support for repealing the 2002 authorization to use force in Iraq. This should not be surprising: after all, the President…

NPR Interview with Retiring NSA Deputy Director John Inglis
John Inglis is retiring today from his post as the Deputy Director of the NSA. Before stepping down, he sat down with Steve Inskeep, co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition,…

10 Questions for the Review Group Members to Publicly Address at the Senate Hearings
The members of the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies will appear on Tuesday, January 14th for hearings before the Senate Judiciary…

Table of Contents: Mini Forum on President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies [Updated]
Just Security has been holding a “mini forum” on the Report of the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies. The following list contains…

Benghazi Oversight: A Chairman’s Resistance to Inconvenient Facts
In a previous post, I argued that overwrought politicized congressional oversight about the attack of the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya would have a damaging effect…

Can We Do Without National Security Letters?
One of the more radical recommendations included in the report from President Obama’s Surveillance Review Group is the proposal to require judicial approval for National…

US Announces Investigation into Wedding Convoy Drone Strike: A Step Toward Accountability?
Last night, NBC’s Michael Isikoff reported that (anonymous) US officials said: “The Obama administration has launched an internal investigation into a Dec. 12 drone strike…

Version 4.0 – Do We Need A New Privacy and Civil Liberties Board?
One aspect of the President’s Review Group report on NSA surveillance that has gone relatively unnoticed is the recommendation that the current Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight…

Could the NSA’s Telephony Metadata Program Have Prevented 9/11? Judge William Pauley v. Lawrence Wright
In an earlier post, I proposed some analytic tools for evaluating the effectiveness of the NSA’s telephony metadata program – in light of recommendations by the President’s…

Helpful Resource from the Dept of Defense: Periodic Review Board Website
We wanted to flag for interested readers a helpful resource, the Department of Defense’s website for the Periodic Review Secretariat (PRS), the body responsible for the administrative…

FISC Approves Application to Renew Telephony Metadata Program [UPDATED]
Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declassified and announced that the FISC has approved the government’s application to renew the telephony metadata…

Reactions to the New York Times and The Guardian Editorial Boards’ Call for Clemency for Snowden
As Ruchi covered this morning in the news roundup, today the editorial boards of the New York Times and The Guardian called on the Obama Administration to offer Edward Snowden…