Executive Orders
How presidents use executive orders to govern without Congress, the constitutional basis for this power, and the fierce debate over its limits.
What Executive Orders Are
An executive order is a signed, published directive from the president that manages operations of the federal government. Executive orders are not mentioned in the Constitution by name, but presidents derive authority for them from Article II's vesting of 'executive power' and the obligation to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed.' Every president since George Washington has issued them.
Executive orders carry the force of law within the executive branch. Federal agencies must comply with them. However, they cannot override existing statutes or the Constitution, and they can be challenged in court. They can also be revoked by a subsequent president with the stroke of a pen, which is why many landmark executive orders are reversed when a new administration takes power.