Congress must convene immediately to condemn Trump’s horrific threats against tens of millions of people and stop this unconstitutional war. We must prevent Trump from unleashing the catastrophic and illegal violence he is touting.

Is this some panacea? Of course not. But those who have power--even soft, indirect, or uncertain power, including the power to get noticed--have a responsibility to exercise it now. Dooming that it "won't work" is not constructive.

What humanity could have been focused on today...

Where is the global outrage and condemnation as Trump threatens war crimes on a massive scale? Not just Iran, but the entire Int’l legal system is in peril. World leaders must take a stand.

If Trump bombs power plants in Iran, the humanitarian crisis will be horrific. Experts tell me to expect water shortages, closed hospitals, many deaths. “We’ve never had a US president so proudly promise to commit war crimes," Sen Chris Murphy says. 1/ (new piece) newrepublic.com/article/2087...

The U.S. RUDs to the Genocide Convention state its understanding that “intent to destroy” requires “specific intent” and that acts committed within armed conflict w/out specific intent to destroy would not qualify as genocide. An intentionally high bar that the US President states intent on meeting.

Law aside, I think many — states, lay people, even IR experts — had trouble at first denouncing US aggression in (and on) Iran because the Iranian regime was so monstrous to its own people. But there should never have been any illusion — Trump did not launch this war to help the Iranian people.

📣 Register now 📣 Facts, Pretexts, and Judicial Scrutiny of Executive Power @nyulaw.bsky.social Forum w/ @becingber.bsky.social, Judge Tom Griffith, Christopher Fonzone & @rgoodlaw.bsky.social 4/1, 1:10-2:25pm, virtual Co-hosted by @rcls-nyu.bsky.social CLE credit available RSVP: bit.ly/4rNL0VW

I'm very much looking forward to hosting this discussion on Wednesday, April 1 Panelists: Judge Tom Griffith Professor @becingber, former DOS Chris Fonzone, former head of OLC, Gen Counsel ODNI, Legal Adviser NSC Virtual and in-person 1:10-2:25pm ET RSVP: www.lawandsecurity.org/calendar/fac...

So many law review articles and he just tweeted it out

What did I just watch

3/ You can bet we'll add this to 5th edition of Presumption of Regularity study. Which tracks 90+ cases in which either court determined the Trump administration submitted false information or the administration admitted it. This one of the most significant. www.justsecurity.org/120547/presu...

“This Administration is barely paying lip service to the constitutional or international law governing the use of force. But we have these rules for a reason,” @becingber.bsky.social told @theintercept.com. “Rushing to war on one man’s whims is the exact opposite of what the Constitution demands.”

“Operation Total Extermination”

NEW: Pentagon Reveals Attacks in Latin America Are Just the Beginning With “Operation Total Extermination” and Trump’s threats against Cuba, expect more U.S. military strikes in the region. theintercept.com/2026/03/23/t...

I have a use of force joke but it’s not all that exceptional

I have an international law joke but you’ll tell me it’s really just about power

Congresswoman @crockett.house.gov is crushing this judiciary subcommittee hearing on the boat strikes and Venezuela war—

The USG Art 51 letter apparently just dropped. Among the points Brian makes below, I'll just add some domestic law points--

2/ Note who Kent blames for Iran war and Iraq war in his resignation letter. Link to the 2025 Southern Poverty Law Center and Western States Center letter: www.splcenter.org/wp-content/u...

Iran war was a bad idea from start. But Joe Kent is not the right messenger on this. See his alleged associations with Nick Fuentes and live streamer who said Hitler was “a complicated historical figure which many people misunderstand” @splcenter.org @westernstatescenter.org 2025 letter:

Well this seems timely

This explainer on the operational complexities and international law governing the Strait of Hormuz is so useful. @justsecurity.org continues to be an essential resource.

HYPOTHETICAL Legal Advice to SecDef Hegseth on “No Quarter” Statement (from General Counsel) By Daniel Maurer, retired Judge Advocate "... may be construed as ... a war crime. This may expose you to criminal liability under 18 U.S.C. 2441(c)(2) ... We recommend that you publicly retract."

The White House could certainly claim this. But Congress explicitly stated in the war powers resolution that appropriations do not equal authorization to use force and should not be interpreted as such.

Starting at 6:00PM EDT: Privileged to be speaking about lethal US maritime strikes and the law at this hearing of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. www.youtube.com/@CIDH_IACHR/... www.aclu.org/press-releas...

What happens when you consider LOAC constraints as “woke” - the commission of war crimes becomes a talking point…. Here is one example where linkage evidence for command responsibility in respect of war crimes will be as easy as collecting clips from press conferences. Thanks, “Secretary of War”.

Watching this foreseeable chaos and tragedy unfold and I keep thinking about what this administration’s own lawyers revealed about its national security process, in the OLC memo on Venezuela. The not war by not planning theory of war powers:

This is well done

Warren: "It is still the case that the Trump admin cannot explain the reasons we entered this war, the goals we're trying to accomplish. The only part that seems clear is that while there is no money for 15m Americans who lost their healthcare, there's a billion a day to spent on bombing Iran."

It may seem odd that a Supreme Court seemingly willing to stick its nose into the middle of just about every legal and policy issue has effectively closed the door to litigating the legality of the U.S. war against Iran. As today’s “One First” explains, though, it set that precedent during Vietnam:

People are rightly concerned about the idea that decisions to go to war might turn on the President’s whim, on his opinion, alone, that Iran was “going to attack.” But —> 🧵

War is peace. 2 + 2 = 5. Don’t believe your lying eyes.

Mandatory listening on war powers and how we got here. @tessbridgeman.bsky.social takes us on a spin through war powers history and where we are today on Trump’s war in Iran.

Book Announcement!!! Sidewalk Nation: The Life and Law of America’s Most Overlooked Resource is available for preorder and out June 2 with @harvardpress.bsky.social! a.co/d/0d1DwIVc

Useful quick explainer by @charliesavage.bsky.social with pithy quote to sum it all up from @becingber.bsky.social - “A state can’t backfill a justification for killing a head of state by unlawfully starting an armed conflict.”

On today's reading list: two new pieces by @rcls-nyu.bsky.social fellows over at @justsecurity.org. @becingber.bsky.social on constitutional war powers: www.justsecurity.org/131538/trump... @tessbridgeman.bsky.social on supply chain risk designations: www.justsecurity.org/132851/anthr...

Our primary insight into how the Trump Admin lawyers* war powers comes from the OLC memo they published on the Venezuela strikes and capture of Maduro. My analysis here:

Honored to join @strictscrutiny.bsky.social (again) to talk about the latest unlawful Trump war — and why the law is important

It's independent media collab day! - Prof. Bec Ingber joins to explain (domestic & int'l) law of war on Iran - Chris Geidner (Law Dork) talks legal news - including what he's broken - Marc Elias (Democracy Docket) describes another Trump admin war - on democracy crooked.com/podcast/the-...

Brett Max Kaufman and I wrote this piece about the NSA's "vocabulary of misdirection" a long time ago but maybe someone at Open AI should read it. slate.com/news-and-pol...

Top Experts’ Backgrounder: Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law www.justsecurity.org/64645/war-po...

Crowdsourcing: of all the coverage on the Iran strikes in U.S. media and elsewhere today and leading up to today — how much of what you’ve seen has mentioned the UN charter? I have yet to see *any* mention.

I’d like to know what Carney meant by sovereignty and territorial integrity and the rules-based order when he spoke these words just one month ago.

Important piece by @jacklgoldsmith.bsky.social. The focus here is DOD, but it has relevance to the devastation the Administration is wreaking on the executive branch legal bureaucracy and culture as a whole.

🥳

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1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken. Hundreds of kids are still detained. We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵