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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4,711 Articles
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detain a man during an immigration enforcement operation in a Minneapolis neighborhood on January 11, 2026.

Minnesota ICE Enforcement: Tracking Alleged Constitutional Violations in Court

Sworn declarations in ACLU’s Minnesota lawsuit describe masked ICE agents using violent, warrantless arrests targeting Somali and Latino US citizens, legal residents.
People visit a makeshift shrine at the site where Alex Pretti was killed on January 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA medical center died on January 24 after being shot multiple times during an interaction with border patrol agents. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

CBP Was a Leader in Transparency. Can It Still Restore that Reputation?

CBP’s handling of the investigation into Alex Pretti's death signals a troubling shift away from the agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
Graph: Monthly border patrol apprehensions

Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

U.S. border policy does not define migration. A new study shows that restrictions on border crossings under both Biden and Trump had little immediate effect.
Anti-ICE signs decorate the front of a home on January 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

DHS Warrantless Home Entry Memo’s Fourth Amendment Problem

An internal ICE memo authorizes agents to enter homes for immigration arrests without judicial approval, breaking with DHS policy and raising Fourth Amendment concerns.
U.S. President Donald Trump uses gold scissors to cut a red tape tied between two stacks of papers representing the government regulations of the 1960s (L) and the regulations of today (R) after he spoke about his administration's efforts in deregulation in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 14, 2017.

The Trump Administration’s Deregulatory Playbook

A deep dive into the Trump administration’s first-year deregulatory agenda, Supreme Court influences, and the evolving limits of agency authority.
WHO Logo

Has the U.S. Actually Withdrawn from the World Health Organization?

The U.S. effort to withdraw from the WHO presents unique issues of international law—and offers a rare opportunity for an international organization to push back on U.S. exit.
IMAGES (left to right): Natural disaster and its consequences (via Getty Images); In this picture taken on September 28, 2022, an internally displaced flood-affected family sits outside their tent at a makeshift tent camp in Jamshoro district of Sindh province (Photo by Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images; Trees smolder and burn during the Dixie fire near Greenville, California on August 3, 2021. – Numerous fires are raging through the state’s northern forests, as climate change makes wildfire season longer, hotter and more devastating. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Just Security’s Climate Archive

A catalog of articles analyzing the diplomatic, political, legal, security, and humanitarian consequences of the international climate crisis.
A towering justice gavel stands prominently at the center, illuminated by a dramatic blend of blue and purple lighting. Scattered across the scene are monochrome silhouettes of legal professionals (via Getty Images)

Responding to the Trump Administration’s Cuts to International Judicial Work

Foreign aid cuts have halted most international judicial training. What future paths remain for U.S. judges seeking global engagement?
U.S. Vice President JD Vance answers questions during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC on January 8, 2026

The White House’s New Fraud Section: Key Questions

The plan for a new DOJ fraud division, reportedly run from the White House, raises major legal and policy questions about executive power and DOJ independence.
Screenshot of the Hypothetical Legal Review of Use of the U.S. Military in Greenland (Just Security)

Hypothetical Legal Review of Use of the U.S. Military in Greenland

This hypothetical legal review imagines what a senior judge advocate’s legal analysis would be if ordered to plan a U.S. military operation in Greenland without Denmark's consent.
CARIBBEAN SEA - SEPTEMBER 22: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, An AH-1Z Cobra, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 (Reinforced), fires an air-to-ground missile (AGM) 114N during a live-fire exercise on September 22, 2025 in the Caribbean sea.

Using an Unmarked Aircraft to Attack an Alleged Drug Boat: Is it Perfidy?

Did the Sept. 2 strike on suspected drug traffickers using an unmarked aircraft violate the prohibition on perfidy, or other LOAC rules, had there been an armed conflict?
The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Let Not Arrogance Be Our Doom

With humility and our collective morals and values, we must extinguish the flames of hubris in US foreign and domestic policy, or "our arrogance will be our doom."
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