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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4,528 Articles
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - JUNE 26: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine turns to watch a video of a bombing test of the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) used in the attack on the Iranian Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant during a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on June 26, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. The Department of Defense top officials gave an update after three Iranian nuclear facilities were struck by the U.S. military last weekend and Iran countered by launching missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The U.S. Attack on Iran Was Unconstitutional

Trump’s strike on Iran violated constitutional limits on the president's unilateral power to take the nation to war—an authority the Framers reserved for Congress.
Collage of the Israel-Iran conflict

Collection: Israel-Iran Conflict

Experts analyze critical dimensions of Israel’s strikes relevant responses, covering nuclear diplomacy; strategic, security, and regional implications; and international law.
The U.S. Supreme Court is shown at dusk on June 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

After CASA: The Administrative Procedure Act Option for Challenging the Birthright Citizenship and Other Illegal Executive Actions

After Trump v. CASA, the APA offers a path to nationwide relief against unconstitutional executive actions—without relying on universal injunctions.

The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power: Keeping Track of the Big Picture

Tracking the use of State power requires systematically identifying linkages between individual developments and broader trends. This graphic offers one method.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (R) turn to watch a video of a bombing test

What Counts as a Win?: Battle Damage Assessments and Public Messaging

The White House's future BDA briefings on the Iran strikes will likely project certainty where analysis still urges caution.
Scales of justice and judge's gavel on wooden table against American flag

Nondelegation and Major Questions Doctrines Can Constrain Power Grabs by Presidents of Both Parties

Enforcing the nondelegation and major questions doctrines can help curb the danger posed by sweeping authority concentrated in a president of either party.
Soldiers from the 143rd Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Brigade, California National Guard, serving under Title 10 status, establish a security perimeter in Mecca, Calif., June 18, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Chase Murray)

Trump’s Use of Federal Troops in Drug Raid Outside of Los Angeles: An Alarming Escalation

"An alarming escalation of the president's efforts to use the military as a domestic police force. Based on currently available information, it appears to be illegal, as well"
The U.S. Capitol building is seen at sunset on March 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The Trump Administration’s Flawed War Powers Report on Iran and the Need for a Congressional Rebuttal

The White House’s legal justifications for attacking Iran are unconvincing and raise concerns about unauthorized use of force. Congress should push back.
U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, speaks next to a Tesla Cyber Truck and a Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

American Businesses Still Face International Human Rights Obligations, Even as Oversight Diminishes at Home

Even amid domestic retrenchment of business regulation and oversight, corporations must adhere to internationally recognized human rights responsibilities.
Screenshot from Newsom v. Trump hearing in 9th District Court of Appeals (via YouTube)

Posse Comitatus Act Meets the President’s “Protective Powers”: What’s Next in Newsom v. Trump

"Congress has been far more clear than is widely believed about what its view is..."
People demonstrate outside the main campus of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention

Dismantling CDC’s Global Work is Dismantling Our First Line of Biodefense

As the Trump administration plans to weaken the CDC, Americans and the world will become more vulnerable to biological threats.
Flags of USA and Iran

Top Experts’ Backgrounder: Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law

Experts who advised a president on use of force answer a full range of basic questions on the conditions under which action against Iran would be lawful, and what options Congress…
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