Executive Functions
Executive Functions is a newsletter authored by Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith, devoted to analysis of presidential and broader executive power issues.
Bauer served as White House Counsel to President Barack Obama and now teaches at New York University School of Law. Goldsmith served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel during the George W. Bush administration and now teaches at Harvard Law School.
Executive Functions offers informed, fair-minded assessments of executive branch actions in legal, political, and historical context. The newsletter publishes weekly essays, responds to breaking news, and features video discussions, podcast interviews, and daily roundup summaries of news developments and commentary related to executive power. All content is free, with optional subscriptions available to support its work.
William Howard Taft: A President Who Advocated for Limits on Executive Authority
What Are We Living Through? Three Ways to Understand the Trump Administration
Decision-making Disarray at the DOJ: Blanche, Bondi, Halligan, Martin—and a White House in charge
The Oregon National Guard Ruling
The Comey Indictment
Is Donald Trump a Reconstructive President?
Anne Joseph O'Connell on the New Jersey U.S. Attorney Matter
Does It Matter That Companies Are Disregarding the TikTok Ban?
Was the Court Right to Allow the Administration’s Workforce Reductions Plans to Go Forward?
Did the Supreme Court 'Meet the Moment' in Trump v. Casa?
Was the Iran Attack Constitutional?
The Iran Conflict and War Powers
The Weak L.A. Deployment Ruling
California Sues and Marines Enter L.A.
Troops in Los Angeles
Trumpifying Federal Courts
The Supreme Court’s Important Decision on Presidential Removal
The Birthright Citizenship Argument
The Anatomy of a Habeas Troll
Corruption in Trump 2.0
Runaway Presidencies
Trump Organization Fires a Key Player in the Harvard Case
The Courts React to the Administration's Aggressive Conduct
Wilkinson’s Impressive Paean to the Rule of Law
Cautious but Firm
Deportation Litigation
Attacks on Law Firms
Paul Weiss and Injunctions
The Trump Administration's Approach to the Courts