Ryan Goodman

New York

Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief at Just Security

Chaired Professor NYU Law. Former Chaired Professor Harvard Law. Former Special Counsel @DeptofDefense. (Also prof.ryan.goodman on Threads)

Articles

Hidden in the U.S. Army’s New Reform Initiative Is a Warning for Europe

1 week ago | justsecurity.org | Ryan Goodman

In early May, Vice President J.D. Vance struck a conciliatory tone at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington D.C. Rather than criticizing Europe for what he described as illiberal censorship, as he did at the Munich Security Conference in February, he said the United States and Europe were on the same team. “It’s completely ridiculous to think that you’re ever going to be able to drive a firm wedge between the United States and Europe,” he told the audience.
Welcoming Danae Askar, Legal Editor

2 weeks ago | justsecurity.org | Tess Bridgeman |Ryan Goodman

We are thrilled to welcome Danae Askar to the Just Security team as a Legal Editor. Askar comes to us most recently from the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser, where she served as an Attorney-Adviser. Prior to that, she was Counsel for a global, pro bono law firm.
Why Lawmakers Want to Block Arms Sales to the UAE

1 month ago | justsecurity.org | Ryan Goodman

The war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged on for more than two years, leaving the country entrenched in one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises. The conflict has been marked by extensive harm to civilians. Flows of weapons into the country have sustained the conflict along with illicit trade in gold, the common food ingredient gum arabic, and other commodities.
How Trump’s Law Firm Settlements Circumvent Congress and Violate Federal Spending Laws

1 month ago | justsecurity.org | Ryan Goodman

The Constitution grants Congress exclusive control over federal spending—an essential check on the executive branch. But a recent wave of settlement agreements between the Trump administration and major law firms marks the latest in a growing pattern of executive maneuvers that erode this safeguard. By redirecting valuable resources toward White House-aligned initiatives without congressional approval, the administration has effectively created a shadow appropriation.
DOJ “Contrivance” to Keep other Abrego Garcia in CECOT Prison

1 month ago | justsecurity.org | Erwin Chemerinsky |Ryan Goodman

I have previously written about another case that is very similar to Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s, and in some respects, even worse with respect to the government’s alleged violation of the law. The case is J.O.P. v. DHS, and the plaintiff, who goes under the pseudonym “Cristian,” is currently in CECOT prison due to the U.S. government violating a court-enforced settlement agreement prohibiting his removal from the United States.
A Terrible Idea

1 month ago | justsecurity.org | Ryan Goodman

Now is not the time to limit the ability of federal courts to enforce their judicial orders. But in light of dozens of federal courts finding actions by President Donald Trump to be unconstitutional, some House Republicans are trying to do exactly that. A provision in the proposed spending bill would restrict the authority of federal courts to hold government officials in contempt when they violate court orders. Without the contempt power, judicial orders are meaningless and can be ignored.
Neutrality Treaty Does Not Justify U.S. Intervention in Panama

1 month ago | justsecurity.org | Ryan Goodman

The actions and comments of senior members of the Trump administration are causing growing concern and tension in Panama. In an address to Congress in March, President Donald Trump announced that his administration “will be reclaiming the Panama Canal.” Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino quickly responded, accusing Trump of lying.
The Just Security Podcast: Discussion of Stephen Miller Remarks on Suspension of Habeas Corpus & Path Ahead

1 month ago | justsecurity.org | Ryan Goodman

On Friday, May 9, senior White House official Stephen Miller said: “The Constitution is clear, and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land, that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended at a time of invasion. So I would say that’s an action we’re actively looking at.” CNN later reported that President Donald Trump has been personally involved in discussions in the administration over potentially suspending habeas.
How March 31 Military Flight of Venezuelan Nationals to El Salvador Most Likely Violated Court Order

2 months ago | justsecurity.org | Ryan Goodman

Over at Just Security‘s substack, I wrote a piece last night very soon after the Justice Department submitted a filing in D.V.D. v. Department of Homeland Security, a document that strongly suggests the government violated the district court’s temporary restraining order (which has since been superseded by a preliminary injunction).
Switching from ICE to DoD Custody: An Alarming Violation of Court Order on Deportations to El Salvador

2 months ago | rsn.org | Ryan Goodman

ALSO SEE: Just Security (Ryan Goodman Substack) Earlier today, I discussed one of the “sleeper” immigration cases that had largely flown below the radar: D.V.D. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. On Wednesday night, the Justice Department submitted a filing in district court in which it appears to openly describe steps the government took to essentially evade the court’s temporary restraining order.