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.
4,622 Articles
Using Labels, Not Law, to Justify Lethal Force: Inside the Venezuelan Boat Strike
Applying a new label to an old problem does not transform the problem. Nor does it grant the U.S. president or the U.S. military expanded legal authority to kill civilians.
Legal Issues Raised by a Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean
The Trump administration’s extraordinary lethal attack on a purported drug smuggling vessel – and its vow that it is the start of a campaign – raise significant legal issues.
What Just Happened? Dismantling the Intelligence Community’s Foreign Malign Influence Center
Director of National Intelligence Gabbard is dismantling the last government unit tracking and analyzing State-sponsored interference in U.S. institutions, elections, and society.
America’s Missile Shield Raises Legal and Cybersecurity Concerns
The Golden Dome raises urgent questions: What are the legal boundaries for weapons in orbit? How can the United States prevent cybersecurity liabilities?
Raising the Cost of U.S. Coercion Against the ICC
Previous administrations sought to reinterpret, evade, or selectively engage with international law. The Trump administration is actively delegitimizing and dismantling it.
A Security Guarantee for Ukraine? Look to the Taiwan Relations Act
The United States and its allies can use the Taiwan model to make post-war Ukraine more secure without writing checks they cannot cash.
The APA Authorizes “Universal” Stays of Agency Action Under 5 U.S.C. § 705
For litigants seeking to move quickly against unlawful executive action, Section 705 of the Administrative Procedure Act should be a powerful tool.
The Just Security Podcast: What Just Happened – Federalization of DC Law Enforcement, Legal Authorities and Updates
Brian Netter and Mark Nevitt join David Aaron to break down the legal and policy implication of the federalization of D.C. law enforcement.
One Week of Trump’s DC Takeover Attempt: An analysis of the president’s use of military, police, and security services in the nation’s capital
Detailed legal analysis of federalization of DC police and the deployment of Guard, DHS and other forces.
Trump, the National Guard, and the District of Columbia: What You Need to Know
The president’s maximalist legal approach in deploying the military may well foreshadow broader use of the military in other American cities.
Taking Stock of the Birthright Citizenship Cases, Part II: Making Sense of the Three Established Exceptions
Analysis of the aftermath of Trump v CASA and the pending litigation about the Trump executive order on birthright citizenship.
How to Truly Keep Washington, DC Safe: President Trump’s militarized approach undercuts what’s been working
The spectacle in DC is a warning: presidential authority is being stretched simply to grab power. History tells us that’s how liberty erodes.