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.
Highlights:
Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
A public resource tracking all the legal challenges to the Trump administration's executive orders and actions.
Collection: Just Security’s Coverage of Trump Administration Executive Actions
Coverage of key developments, including in concise “What Just Happened” expert explainers, legal and policy analysis, and more. Check back frequently for updates.
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?
War Powers, Venezuela, Drug Boats, and Congress
The last year of unauthorized military interventions and the president’s threats should spur Congress to reassert its constitutional prerogatives over the use of force.
Trump’s New Year Foreign Policy: The Risk that the Bold and the Bad Outweigh the Constructive
Trump’s foreign policy remains an inconsistent array of initiatives and adventures: bold in Latin America, bad in Greenland, yet often constructive on Ukrainian security.
Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers, Operation Southern Spear, Operation Absolute Resolve
Collection of expert analysis on the legality of the U.S. strike on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, the consequences of the strike, and related issues.
4,632 Articles
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."
Military Force Will Not Help the People of Iran
This is an Iranian uprising, and it is up to the people of Iran to decide their own future.
How Congress Can Preserve NATO and Greenland: Using 22 USC 1928f to Protect the Peace
Trump’s threats to invade Greenland risk destroying NATO itself, but a little-known statute, 22 U.S.C. 1928f, could prevent him from doing just that.
Legal and Practical Implications of the U.S. Withdrawal from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change
The U.S. withdrawal from the UNFCCC is a further blow to climate cooperation and a demonstration of U.S. foreign policy volatility.
The North Atlantic Treaty and a U.S. Attack on Denmark
Would NATO have to defend Denmark if the United States attempted to seize Greenland? Article 5 suggests other allies are obligated to come to Denmark's defense if requested.
The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability
This Anti-Corruption Tracker focuses on the erosion or dismantling of oversight and accountability systems within the United States Executive Branch.
Will Trump Allow Private Equity to Gut the Army Too?
Previous Army privatization experiences demonstrate that the logic of Secretary Driscoll’s proposal to court private equity firms is difficult to defend.
Expert Q&A on U.S. Military Actions on Venezuela and Boat Strikes
Expert FAQ on the U.S. military operations against Venezuela, high seas boat strikes, seizure of vessels and more.
The Epstein Files and the Seven Member Rule
In a polarized Congress, discharge petitions and the Seven Member Rule preserve a limited but vital role for the minority, strengthening oversight.
International Law and the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Operations in Venezuela
Experts survey the international law issues of Operation Absolute Resolve.
No Indispensable Man: The Democratic Foundation of the 22nd Amendment
To violate the 22nd Amendment would be to discard the wisdom of those who sought to preserve U.S. democracy against the last rising tide of authoritarianism.
Hypothetical Legal Review on Judge Advocates Serving as Immigration Judges
A hypothetical legal review examining the OLC's legal basis for having Judge Advocates serve as immigration judges.