By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows: SECTION 1. The Coat of Arms of the Vice President of the United States shall be of the following design: SHIELD: Paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules, a chief azure; upon the breast of an American eagle displayed holding in his dexter talon an olive branch proper and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows gray, and in his beak a gray scroll inscribed "E PLURIBUS UNUM" sable. CREST: Behind and above the eagle a radiating glory or, on which appears an arc of thirteen cloud puffs gray, and a constellation of thirteen mullets gray. SEC. 2. The Seal of the Vice President of the United States shall consist of the Coat of Arms encircled by the words "Vice President of the United States." SEC. 3. The Color and Flag of the Vice President of the United States shall consist of a white rectangular background of sizes and proportions to conform to military custom, on which shall appear the Coat of Arms of the Vice President in proper colors within four blue stars. The proportions of the elements of the Coat of Arms shall be in direct relation to the hoist, and the fly shall vary according to the customs of the military services. SEC. 4. The Coat of Arms, Seal, and Color and Flag shall be as described herein and as set forth in the illustrations and specifications attached hereto and made a part of this Order. These designs shall be used to represent the Vice President of the United States exclusively. SEC. 5. This Order shall become effective immediately. Executive Order No. 10016 of November 10, 1948, is hereby revoked. GERALD R. FORD The White House, October 7, 1975.
Executive Order 11884 ⚖️✨ Zone 2: Zone of Twilight Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
Executive Order 11884—Prescribing the Official Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag of the Vice President of the United States
Executive Brief • At a Glance
⏱️ 2 min read (303 words) •
● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate
The Coat of Arms of the Vice President of the United States shall be of the following design: SHIELD: Paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules, a chief azure; upon the breast of an American eagle displayed holding in his dexter talon an olive branch proper and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows gray, and in his beak a gray scroll inscribed "E PLURIBUS UNUM" sable.
⚖️ Constitutional Footing
⚖️✨ Zone 2: Zone of Twilight
Concurrent Authority / Congressional Silence
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Armed Forces & Military Establishments Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Gerald R. Ford on October 7, 1975, this order concerns Prescribing the Official Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag of the Vice President of the United States. The Coat of Arms of the Vice President of the United States shall be of the following design: SHIELD: Paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules, a chief azure; upon the breast of an American eagle displayed holding in his dexter talon an olive branch proper and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows gray, and in his beak a gray scroll inscribed "E PLURIBUS UNUM" sable.
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
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The Coat of Arms of the Vice President of the United States shall be of the following design: SHIELD: Paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules, a chief azure; upon the breast of an American eagle displayed holding in his dexter talon an olive branch proper and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows gray, and in his beak a gray scroll inscribed "E PLURIBUS UNUM" sable.
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The Seal of the Vice President of the United States shall consist of the Coat of Arms encircled by the words "Vice President of the United States." SEC. 3.
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The Color and Flag of the Vice President of the United States shall consist of a white rectangular background of sizes and proportions to conform to military custom, on which shall appear the Coat of Arms of the Vice President in proper colors within four blue stars.
▪
The proportions of the elements of the Coat of Arms shall be in direct relation to the hoist, and the fly shall vary according to the customs of the military services.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments
🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises
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.
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight)
§
"When the President acts in absence of either a congressional grant or denial of authority, he can only rely upon his own independent powers, but there is a zone of twilight in which he and Congress may have concurrent authority."
— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Concurrent Authority / Congressional Silence
JM
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"Power is of an encroaching nature, and it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it." — Federalist No. 48 (1788)
Madison would view this order with watchful scrutiny. Operating in the 'Zone of Twilight' where Congress is silent, each such directive establishes an administrative precedent that steadily expands the executive perimeter at the expense of legislative primacy.
Madisonian Stance: Vigilant / Cautionary
AH
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.
Hamiltonian Stance: Strong Prerogative Support
GM
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.
Anti-Federalist Stance: Eternal Vigilance Required
📐
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
⚖️ Discretionary Twilight Zone
38 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8
Moderate Friction
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.
Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3
Low Friction
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.
Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment
Moderate Friction
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Benchmark: Police powers and un-delegated responsibilities reserved to the States.
Dimension 4 • 5th & 14th Amendments
Low Friction
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers
Moderate Friction
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The order relies on inherent Article II executive discretion, civil service management, or foreign diplomacy where Congress has neither expressly approved nor prohibited action.
Benchmark: Concurrent Authority / Congressional Silence
⚖️
Audit Synthesis
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Weighted composite: Art. I (25%), Art. II (25%), Federalism (15%), Due Process (15%), Youngstown (20%).
ℹ️
How to read these dimensions: Executive power expands whenever an administration acts without explicit statutory authorization from Congress (Article I), touches upon police powers historically reserved to the states (Tenth Amendment), or limits private rights and property without judicial process. A low friction score indicates strict concordance with enacted law; a high friction score highlights orders testing the limits of presidential discretion.
Total Words
303
1,703 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
12
High School
Text size:
Related Executive Orders
1 order cited directly in this text, plus related actions from this administration.
EO 10016 Nov 10, 1948
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 10016—Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag of the Vice President of the United States
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
The Coat of Arms of the Vice President of the United States shall be of the following design: SHIELD: Paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules, a chief azure; upon the breast of an American eagle with wings displayed and inverted holding in his dexter talon an olive branch…
Harry S Truman High School • 2m
EO 11883 Oct 6, 1975
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11883—Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay and Allowances
📜 Art. II §1: Executive Discretion & Internal Operations
Statutory Pay Systems. Pursuant to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 53 of title 5 of the United States Code, the rates of basic pay and salaries are adjusted, as set forth at the schedules attached hereto and made a part hereof, for the following statutory pay systems…
Gerald R. Ford Grade 9 • 2m
EO 11882 Oct 6, 1975
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11882—Membership of Energy Research and Development Administration on Established River Basin Commissions
📜 Art. II §1: Executive Discretion & Internal Operations
Section 3 (2) of Executive Order No. 11345 of April 20, 1967, as amended, establishing the Great Lakes Basin Commission, is amended by adding "Energy Research and Development Administration," immediately after "Department of Transportation." SEC. 2.
Gerald R. Ford College Level • 1m
EO 11881 Oct 3, 1975
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11881—Delegation of Authority to Issue Regulations With Respect to Section 459 of the Social Security Act
📜 Art. II §3: Administrative Management & Civil Service
This order is applicable to all executive agencies of the Federal Government which make any payment of money, the entitlement to which is based upon remuneration for employment, to any individual.
Gerald R. Ford Post-Graduate Legal • 2m
EO 11880 Revoked Oct 2, 1975
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11880—Designation of Officers of the Department of Commerce to Act as Secretary of Commerce
📜 Art. II §1: Executive Discretion & Internal Operations
During any period when, by reason of absence, disability or vacancy in office, both the Secretary of Commerce and the Under Secretary of Commerce are not available to exercise the powers or perform the duties of the Office of Secretary, an Assistant Secretary of Commerce, the…
Gerald R. Ford Post-Graduate Legal • 1m
EO 11885 Oct 15, 1975
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11885—Amending Executive Order No. 11861, as Amended, Placing Certain Positions in Levels IV and V of the Executive Schedule
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
Section 2 of Executive Order No. 11861 of May 21, 1975, as amended, placing certain positions in level V of the Executive Schedule, is further amended by deleting "(1) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Department of Defense." and inserting in lieu…
Gerald R. Ford College Level • 1m
📜
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 11,884 (Oct. 7, 1975), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-11884-prescribing-the-official-coat-arms-seal-and-flag-the-vice-president.
