Get Norms Watch in Your Inbox

Subscribers will receive a weekly email from Just Security’s Norms Watch tracking how and when the Trump administration’s policies and actions break from custom, practice, and precedent in politics and law. We’ll also be on the lookout for when norms are violated as a response to President Trump.

(If you experience difficulties signing up for Norms Watch, try refreshing your browser or switching to another browser.)

* indicates required




Featured Articles

Did Trump and His Team Successfully Obstruct Mueller’s Investigation?

by

Top Expert Backgrounder: Aborted U.S. Strike, Cyber Operation Against Iran and International Law

by

U.K. Court Nixes Saudi Arms Sales–What it Means for the US and Other EU Countries

by and

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

by and

Journalist Watchlist Raises Specter of Civil Rights-Era Secret Surveillance

by

U.S. Cyber Command, Russia and Critical Infrastructure: What Norms and Laws Apply?

by

Open Memo 2: The Impeachment Roadmap from 1974 to 2020

by

Defense Policy Bill Should Require Reporting of Ex Gratia Payments

by

What’s In the New Draft National Defense Authorization Act

by , and

Unfinished Business: What Mueller Didn’t Cover, But Congress Can

by

Focusing on Armed Non-State Actors: Protecting Education in Armed Conflict

by

An “Emergency” Arms Deal: Will Congress Acquiesce in Another Blow to Its Authority?

by and

EXCLUSIVE: Draft Charter of Pompeo’s “Commission on Unalienable Rights” Hides Anti-Human Rights Agenda

by

A Side-by-Side Comparison of Barr’s vs. Mueller’s Statements about Special Counsel Report

by

Cooking the WMD Books: Politicizing the 2019 State Department Compliance Report

by

Time to Bring Women and Children Home from Iraq and Syria

by

The Missing Bill Barr Obstruction Analysis

by

Bolton’s Stated Predicate for War With Iran Doesn’t Work

by

A Critique of Defense Dept General Counsel Ney’s Remarks on the Law of War

by

Countering Russia’s Malign Influence Operations

by

How Impeachment Proceedings Would Strengthen Congress’s Investigatory Powers

by

The American Way of War Includes Fidelity to Law: Preemptive Pardons Break that Code

by , and

Indictment of Assange for Espionage Directly Threatens Press Freedoms

by

When Is a “Literally True” Statement False and a Crime

by

Bill Barr’s Extreme Views on War Powers Mean Congress’s Window to Stop War with Iran is Now

by , and

McGahn’s Chief of Staff, Annie Donaldson May Be Congress’ Prized Witness

by

ICC Prosecutor Signals Important Strategy Shift in New Policy Document

by

What Congress Should Ask Robert Mueller When He Testifies

by , and

Why Robert Mueller Is Right that the Obstruction Statutes Apply to the President

by

Why the Arms Trade Treaty Matters – and Why It Matters That the US Is Walking Away

by

The Mazars USA Subpoena as an Existential Threat to President Trump

by

The Failures of the Mueller Report’s Campaign Finance Analysis

by

The Pentagon’s 2018 Civilian Casualties Report: What’s In It and What’s Next

by and

Amid the Nadler-Barr Standoff: Some History of Struggles Over Hearing Processes

by

Barr and Congress: Is the Focus on Criminality Too Narrow?–Five Experts Weigh In

by

Guide to the Mueller Report’s Findings on “Collusion”

by

Trump Administration’s New Cuba Policy Threatens Discord With U.S. Allies

by and

Gutting the Substance of a Security Council Resolution on Sexual Violence

by

Climate Change: Our Greatest National Security Threat?

by

The International Criminal Court Decision on Afghanistan: Time to Start a New Conversation

by

The ICC’s Afghanistan Decision: Bending to U.S. or Focusing Court on Successful Investigations?

by

Transparency on Civilian Harm in Somalia Matters – Not Just to Americans

by , and

The Pentagon Wants to Streamline Security Clearances by Using AI. That’s a Dangerous Idea.

by

An Insider’s View of the Life-Cycle of Self-Defense Reports by U.N. Member States

by

The Hidden Issue in Huawei’s Suit Against the United States

by

Next Step in Disinformation: How a Dating App Becomes a Weapon

by

A Legislative Shot at Internet of Things Security

by

Body Counts Are Terrible Way for the Public to Assess US Counter-Terrorism Operations

by

What Comes Next: After Supreme Court Reduced Obstacles to Suing International Organizations

by

The US-Philippines Defense Treaty and the Pompeo Doctrine on South China Sea

by

Citizenship-Stripping and ISIS Members: The Recent UK Experience

by

I Helped Write the Exec Order on Public Reporting of Lethal Operations. Here’s What Trump Has Undone.

by

Report of the Independent UN Commission of Inquiry on Gaza Strip – An Initial Evaluation of a Problematic Report

by

BREAKING: United States Supports Germany’s International Arrest Warrant for Accused Syrian War Criminal

by

The Seven Step Program for Fighting Disinformation

by and

Trump’s Invoking Obama Signing Statement as Reason Not to Report to Congress on Khashoggi Murder: A Roundup of Expert Views

by

Human Rights, Deprivation of Life and National Security: Q&A with Christof Heyns and Yuval Shany on General Comment 36

by , and

Weapons of Mass Consumerism: Why China Wants Your Personal Information

by and

Executive Agreements: International Lawmaking Without Accountability?

by , and

Annotation of the Pentagon Report to Congress on Detainee Abuse by U.S. Partners in Yemen

by

Terrorists and the Southern Border: Myth and Reality

by

Ruminations on RICO and Asset Forfeiture in the Trump Business Empire

by

Please Support Just Security with a Tax-Deductible Donation

by

Trump’s Bookkeeper: How Prosecutors Could Easily Prove Tax Crimes for Hush Money Reimbursements

by

10 Ways the U.S. Can Curb Interpol Abuses

by

No Clean Hands: Reaction and Counter-Reaction in the Iranian-Saudi Proxy War in Yemen

by

Need for Change to Protect Children in Armed Conflict

by and

Accountability Fatigue: A Human Rights Law Problem for Armed Forces?

by

Annotation of Sec. Pompeo’s Certification of Yemen War: Civilian Casualties and Saudi-Led Coalition

by

The Technicolor Zone of Cyberspace, Part 2

by and