Executive Order 11494 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 11494—Establishing the Presidential Citizens Medal

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Thursday, November 13, 1969

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1 min read (204 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Richard Nixon on 1969-11-13, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Establishing the Presidential Citizens Medal." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ BY VIRTUE of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows: SECTION 1.

▪ The Presidential Citizens Medal (hereinafter referred to as the Medal), together with accompanying ribbons and appurtenances, is hereby established for the purpose of recognizing citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.

▪ The Army Institute of Heraldry shall prepare for the approval of the President a design of the Medal, citation, and ribbon.

▪ The establishment of the Medal shall not operate to terminate any other medal and this order shall not be deemed to supersede the whole or any part of any other Executive order.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners

Total Words

204

1,208 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

12.1

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 11494, Richard Nixon (Nov 13, 1969). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-11494-establishing-the-presidential-citizens-medal.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

BY VIRTUE of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows: SECTION 1. Medal established. The Presidential Citizens Medal (hereinafter referred to as the Medal), together with accompanying ribbons and appurtenances, is hereby established for the purpose of recognizing citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. SEC. 2. Award of the Medal. (a) The Medal may be bestowed by the President upon any citizen of the United States at the sole discretion of the President. (b) The announcement of the granting of the Medal and the presentation ceremonies may take place at any time during the year. (c) Subject to the provisions of this order, the Medal may be conferred posthumously. SEC. 3. Design of the Medal. The Army Institute of Heraldry shall prepare for the approval of the President a design of the Medal, citation, and ribbon. SEC. 4. Prior orders. The establishment of the Medal shall not operate to terminate any other medal and this order shall not be deemed to supersede the whole or any part of any other Executive order. RICHARD NIXON The White House, November 13, 1969