Category: Separation of Powers

By Shae McInnis, Georgetown University In the first year of his second term, President Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders reinterpreting federal law in many important areas, especially immigration and border security. At numerous campaign rallies and in the inaugural address of his second term, President Trump said his immigration enforcement strategy will involve…

By Vikram Valame, Georgetown University I. Introduction Justice Scalia stands vindicated. The Supreme Court has adopted his declaration that the president wields not “some of the executive power, but all of the executive power.” But despite this victory for the “unitary executive,” the president does not enjoy plenary authority over the executive branch. Principal officers—and…