Are there any guidelines as to what constitutes a national emergency?

[Poiuyt]

Can a president decide unilaterally what is a crisis? There must be something in place that would prevent a president from declaring an emergency to implement some policy that is against the constitution and/or the majority's wishes. Do you anticipate legal challenges if Trump does declare a national emergency so he can build his wall.

[Grasswire2]

1. Here's a very good article on national emergency.

[link:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/01/presidential-emergency-powers/576418/|

[Poiuyt]

5. Well, that was kind of frightening!

[Grasswire2]

6. yup

Things get serious fast.

[PoliticAverse]

2. Yes there will be "legal challenges". This NBC News article discusses the issue...

Note that every recent President has implemented some policy after declaring a "national emergency"...

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-check-what-s-national-emergency-can-trump-declare-one-n954966

See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Emergencies_Act

[dalton99a]

3. Nope.

Here's an example: Trump's trade war is based on a 1962 law giving him unilateral authority to raise tariffs for national security reasons. He's getting away with it because only he gets to define "national security".

[marble falls]

4. Thats what Federal Courts are about.

[DFW]

7. Here's a natonal emergency for you

Donald Trump is in the Oval Office and gets to pretend he is president for as much as the next two years.