congressional authorization

× Clear Filters
105 Articles
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 02, 2025. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 1, 2025, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Timeline of Boat Strikes and Related Actions

A timeline that chronicles major events in the Trump administration’s campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Copies of the People's Daily newspaper with a front page photo and headline which reads "Xi Jinping holds talks with US President Trump", are displayed at a news stand in Beijing on May 15, 2026. Trump said he had made "fantastic trade deals" with China's Xi Jinping, as the pair met on May 15 at final talks of a superpower summit that according to the US leader has also reaped a Chinese offer to help open the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP via Getty Images)

The Historic U.S. Defense Budget Request Needs a Sound Indo-Pacific Policy

The Trump administration's proposed $1.45 trillion defense budget for fiscal 2027 comes up short in three key ways for U.S. security in the Indo-Pacific.
The U.S. Capitol Building is seen on the National Mall from the Washington Monument on May 17, 2026 in Washington, DC.

How the Twenty-Fifth Amendment Applies Today

Yale Law School's Peter Gruber Rule of Law Clinic has updated its Reader's Guide to the 25th Amendment to cover Trump and Biden-era developments.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Lt. Gen. James Adams III, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, acting Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and acting Director of the National Security Agency Lt. Gen. William Hartman and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in the Hart Senate Office Building on March 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

A Mid-Life Crisis for Senate Intelligence?

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, prompting reflection on lessons learned and potential new directions.
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implements a maritime blockade against an Iranian-flagged ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 26, 2026 in the Arabian Sea. Rafael Peralta is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (Handout photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Is the United States (Still) at War? How Wars Begin and End

Armed conflict is not a matter of political branding, rhetorical convenience, or domestic law positioning. It is a legal status that turns on objective facts.

The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas Part V

Tess Bridgeman and Rachel Goldbrenner are joined by Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane to examine escalating U.S. strikes on suspected drug traffickers.
A detailed view of the uniform of a senior military member as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.

Legal Foundations of Honorable Military Service

As former judge advocates, it was our responsibility while on active duty to advise on the legal demands of and limits on senior officers’ authority and responsibility.
A U.S. ​flag flies on the side of the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters building on September 15, 2024, in Washington, DC.

The Presidential Records Act is Constitutional

Presidents have complied with the Act without serious objection, and there is essentially no scholarly or other commentary questioning the Act’s constitutionality.
A Clark County election worker stacks gray crates marked "SURRENDERED MAIL BALLOTS."

The Unconstitutionality of the Trump Administration’s New Executive Order on Elections

The Trump administration's executive order on mail-in voting is unconstitutional. States and Congress—not the President—have authority to regulate federal elections.
Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Marine General Francis L. Donovan walk side by side outdoors at U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Doral, Florida, during the Americas Counter Cartel Conference, with other officials visible in the background.

Did the United States Just Bomb Ecuador?

The U.S. military continues maritime strikes on alleged drug smugglers and may now be hitting targets on land. Brian Finucane analyzes Trump’s latest War Powers report.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the press before briefing House and Senate leaders on US military action in Iran, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 2, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Double Preemption, Imminence, and the U.S. Attack Against Iran

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s argument that Operation Epic Fury was an act of preemptive self-defense is not credible and does not satisfy the necessary precondition.

Top Questions the Trump Administration Needs to Answer on War with Iran

What Congress, journalists, and the public should ask the Trump administration about its war in Iran.
1-12 of 105 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: