Executive Branch

6 Stories

Supreme Court Steps Into Thorny Case on Jerusalem

Case questions birth country of Jerusalem-born American

(Newser) - The Supreme Court is about to take on a case that tangles Israeli politics with questions of congressional and executive power. It will hear an appeal from the parents of an American born in Jerusalem—a city the US doesn’t recognize as belonging to Israel—who wants Israel listed...

Top Court Candidates Differ Widely on Exec Power

New justice will be key to defining prez limits

(Newser) - Most Supreme Court watchers say that Barack Obama's choice to succeed David Souter will change little, since the retiring justice was a reliable member of the court's liberal bloc. But on critical questions of presidential power, which Souter regularly sought to check, the new justice's vote could...

Obama Could Be Most Powerful President Ever
Obama Could Be Most Powerful President Ever
Analysis

Obama Could Be Most Powerful President Ever

44 enjoys rare mix of crisis, popularity, and an office at its peak

(Newser) - Barack Obama enters office today with a realistic shot of becoming one of the most powerful presidents in history, writes Barton Gellman in the Washington Post. Historians and officials in the outgoing and incoming administrations agree the presidency is already at or near an apex of power, and Obama’s...

Obama Can Learn From Cheney's Management Style
Obama Can Learn From Cheney's Management Style
opinion

Obama Can Learn From Cheney's Management Style

Its substance gave many fits, but VP's broad template got results

(Newser) - Barack Obama's “template” for exercising executive authority should draw from Dick Cheney, the most influential figure in the Bush administration, Steve Clemons writes in the Huffington Post. Cheney finessed followers “beholden to him” into positions throughout the vast intelligence and national-security bureaucracies, spreading his doctrine without needing “...

Separation of Powers? Leave Prez's BlackBerry Out of It

Scrutiny on email deprives executive of key communications tool—though not Congress

(Newser) - The 44th president will almost certainly kick off his term by quitting email cold turkey, Jamie Sneider writes in the Weekly Standard. With executive-branch communication subject to public-disclosure law, President Bush hasn't send a single message, the former White House aide says—a coping mechanism that "fails to strike...

House Sues Bush Aides Over Subpoenas

Lawsuit calls on Miers, Bolton to talk about fired prosecutors

(Newser) - Lawmakers sued two top Bush aides today to make them testify about the sacking of federal prosecutors in 2006. The House Judiciary Committee suit seeks to enforce subpoenas against White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former Bush counsel Harriet Miers, who have refused to testify or supply subpoenaed...

6 Stories