exigency ˈek-sə-jən(t)-sē , ig-ˈzi-jən(t)- noun
1. a pressing or urgent situation
2. a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action
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The word exigency has appeared in 16 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 7 in “National Emergency Powers and Trump’s Border Wall, Explained” by Charlie Savage:
The president has the authority to declare a national emergency, which activates enhancements to his executive powers by essentially creating exceptions to rules that normally constrain him. The idea is to enable the government to respond quickly to a crisis.
Although presidents have sometimes claimed that the Constitution gives them inherent powers to act beyond ordinary legal limits in an exigency, those claims tend to fare poorly when challenged in court.
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