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

Time for U.S. Intelligence to Ask: How Did We Alienate so Many Americans?
"Two years before the next round of debate over Section 702, an earlier, deeper, and more wide-ranging conversation needs to take place between the intelligence and civil liberties…

The State Department’s Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance: How to Make a Good Thing Better
The State Department's Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance process is a good start but changes can improve function and transparency.

Three Flaws in the Supreme Court’s Decision on Presidential Criminal Immunity
Three major flaws in the Trump v. United States majority opinion derive from the Court’s failure to examine and differentiate the source and scope of presidential power -- whether…

How ‘Economic Security’ is Re-shaping Presidential Power
Linking of “foreign commerce” to “economic security” has dangerously blurred authority that Congress has delegated to the executive branch.

Judge Cannon Finds Special Counsel Unconstitutional in Trump Classified Documents Case: What’s Next for Jack Smith?
Judge Aileen Cannon found that Attorney General Merrick Garland had no power to appoint Jack Smith as a special counsel, dismissing the case.

After the NATO Summit, Allies Need to Step Up Their Game on Ukraine, Russia, and China
The Alliance made significant progress in some areas, but has lots of work to do going forward to meet the challenges on its doorstep.

The Just Security Podcast NATO’s Washington Summit: Russia’s War on Ukraine Tests Alliance
Joining the show to discuss this year’s NATO summit and unpack its implications is Ambassador Daniel Fried.

War and What We Make of the Law
Compliance with international humanitarian law must be about fulfilling its humanitarian purpose, not skirting its limits.

At the NATO Summit, Strategy and Politics in Play
The agenda has more than the usual weight attached to it while war rages in Europe and amid the US political dynamic.

The Just Security Podcast: Presidential Immunity After Trump v. United States
Legal experts Ryan Goodman, Marty Lederman, Mary McCord, and Steve Vladeck unpack what Trump v. United States means for presidential immunity.

Trump’s Prosecutions Depend on Whether the Dissent Got It Right
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the Supreme Court's majority granted “former President Trump all the immunity he asked for and more.”

Assessing Jus Ad Bellum Proportionality: A Factored Approach
Nine factors, considered in their totality, would provide a more nuanced understanding of jus ad bellum proportionality and assist States in identifying specific concerns with…