By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows: SECTION 1. Except as provided in section 7, this order shall apply to all executive departments, independent agencies, and Government corporations, including their field services. SEC. 2. As used in this order: (a) Holiday means the first day of January, the third Monday of February, the last Monday of May, the fourth day of July, the first Monday of September, the second Monday of October, the fourth Monday of October, the fourth Thursday of November, the twenty-fifth day of December, or any other calendar day designated as a holiday by Federal statute or Executive order. (b) Workday means those hours which comprise in sequence the employee's regular daily tour of duty within any 24-hour period, whether falling entirely within one calendar day or not. SEC. 3. (a) Any employee whose basic workweek does not include Sunday and who would ordinarily be excused from work on a holiday falling within his basic workweek shall be excused from work on the next workday of his basic workweek whenever a holiday falls on Sunday. (b) Any employee whose basic workweek includes Sunday and who would ordinarily be excused from work on a holiday falling within his basic workweek shall be excused from work on the next workday of his basic workweek whenever a holiday falls on a day that has been administratively scheduled as his regular weekly non-workday in lieu of Sunday. SEC. 4. The holiday for a full-time employee for whom the head of a department has established the first 40 hours of duty performed within a period of not more than six days of the administrative workweek as his basic workweek because of the impracticability of prescribing a regular schedule of definite hours of duty for each workday, shall be determined as follows: (a) If a holiday occurs on Sunday, the head of the department shall designate in advance either Sunday or Monday as the employee's holiday and the employee's basic 40-hour tour of duty shall be deemed to include eight hours on the day designated as the employee's holiday. (b) If a holiday occurs on Saturday, the head of the department shall designate in advance either the Saturday or the preceding Friday as the employee's holiday and the employee's basic 40-hour tour of duty shall be deemed to include eight hours on the day designated as the employee's holiday. (c) If a holiday occurs on any other day of the week, that day shall be the employee's holiday, and the employee's basic 40-hour tour of duty shall be deemed to include eight hours on that day. (d) When a holiday is less than a full day, proportionate credit will be given under paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section. SEC. 5. Any employee whose workday covers portions of two calendar days and who would, except for this section, ordinarily be excused from work scheduled for the hours of any calendar day on which a holiday falls, shall instead be excused from work on his entire workday which commences on any such calendar day. SEC. 6. In administering the provisions of law relating to pay and leave of absence, the workdays referred to in sections 3, 4, and 5 shall be treated as holidays in lieu of the corresponding calendar holidays. SEC. 7. The provisions of this order shall apply to officers and employees of the Post Office Department and the United States Postal Service (except that sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 shall not apply to the Postal Field Service) until changed by the Postal Service in accordance with the Postal Reorganization Act. SEC. 8. Executive Order No. 10358 of June 9, 1952, entitled Observance of Holidays by Government Agencies, and amendatory Executive Orders No. 11226 of May 27, 1965, and No. 11272 of February 23, 1966, are revoked. SEC. 9. This order is effective as of January 1, 1971. RICHARD NIXON The White House February 11, 1971
Executive Order 11582—Observance of Holidays by Government Agencies
Executive Brief • At a Glance
Except as provided in section 7, this order shall apply to all executive departments, independent agencies, and Government corporations, including their field services.
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Richard Nixon on February 11, 1971, this order concerns Observance of Holidays by Government Agencies. Except as provided in section 7, this order shall apply to all executive departments, independent agencies, and Government corporations, including their field services. SEC. 2. As used in this order: (a) Holiday means the first day of January, the third Monday of February, the last Monday of May, the fourth day of July, the first Monday of September, the second Monday of October, the fourth Monday of October, the…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
Except as provided in section 7, this order shall apply to all executive departments, independent agencies, and Government corporations, including their field services.
As used in this order: (a) Holiday means the first day of January, the third Monday of February, the last Monday of May, the fourth day of July, the first Monday of September, the second Monday of October, the fourth Monday of October, the fourth Thursday of November, the twenty-fifth day of December, or any other calendar day designated as a holiday by Federal statute or Executive order.
Any employee whose basic workweek does not include Sunday and who would ordinarily be excused from work on a holiday falling within his basic workweek shall be excused from work on the next workday of his basic workweek whenever a holiday falls on Sunday.
Any employee whose basic workweek includes Sunday and who would ordinarily be excused from work on a holiday falling within his basic workweek shall be excused from work on the next workday of his basic workweek whenever a holiday falls on a day that has been administratively scheduled as his regular weekly non-workday in lieu of Sunday.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)
Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"The direction of war implies the direction of the common strength; and the power of directing and employing the common strength must be under the direction of the single hand of the Executive." — Federalist No. 74 (1788)
Hamilton would forcefully champion executive discretion here. For foreign entanglements, commerce defense, and national security, deliberative assemblies are too slow and faction-ridden. A unified, energetic Executive exercising swift command is precisely what the Philadelphia Convention intended for national preservation.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The president will be surrounded by flatterers and sycophants... and the great powers of the executive will gradually absorb the liberties of the people." — Cato IV (Anti-Federalist, 1787)
The Anti-Federalist prism advises continuous democratic vigilance. Even routine administrative directives aggregate centralized federal power away from town halls and state assemblies toward a distant executive apparatus.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Referenced By Later Executive Orders (6)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 11,582 (Feb. 11, 1971), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-11582-observance-holidays-government-agencies.