By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, and in order to create in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. I) an advisory commission on the membership of the United States Court of Military Appeals, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1-1. Establishment of the Commission. 1-101. There is established the United States Court of Military Appeals Nominating Commission. The Commission shall be comprised of six members appointed by the President. 1-102. Not more than three members shall be officials of the Federal government. The Federal members shall include the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, who shall chair the Commission. The private members shall be selected from among those in the legal profession. 1-2. Functions of the Commission. 1-201. When notified by the President that he desires its assistance in filling a vacancy on the United States Court of Military Appeals, the Commission shall conduct inquiries to identify persons who may be qualified to serve in the position and shall conduct further inquiries to determine those persons' qualifications. 1-202. In conducting its inquiries the Commission shall follow any procedures or criteria established by the President in his letter of notification or by the Secretary of Defense acting on behalf of the President. 1-203. The Commission shall submit a report to the President and to the Secretary of Defense within 60 days from the date it is notified by the President that he desires its assistance. The report shall list the names of no more than five persons whom the Commission considers well qualified to serve in the position. 1-204. The Commission shall conduct such additional inquiries and submit such additional reports as may be requested by the President. 1-205. The Commission shall perform no function except when requested by the President to assist him in filling a vacancy. 1-3. Administrative Provisions. 1-301. The Commission is authorized to request from any Executive agency such information or assistance as the Commission deems necessary to carry out its functions under this Order. Each agency shall, to the extent permitted by law, furnish such information or assistance to the Commission. 1-302. The Commission is authorized to request from any State agency such information and assistance as the Commission deems necessary. It is authorized to obtain such information and assistance to the extent permitted by State law. 1-303. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation. While engaged in the work of the Commission, members may receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5702 and 5703). 1-304. The Secretary of Defense shall furnish to the Commission necessary administrative support. 1-305. All necessary expenses incurred in connection with the work of the Commission, to the extent permitted by law, shall be paid from funds available to the Secretary of Defense. 1-4. General Provision. 1-401. No member of the Commission shall, while serving on the Commission or for a period of one year thereafter, be eligible to be nominated to fill a position as a judge on the Court of Military Appeals. 1-402. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other Executive order, the functions of the President under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. I), except that of reporting annually to the Congress, which are applicable to the Commission, shall be performed by the Secretary of Defense in accordance with the guidelines and procedures established by the Administrator of General Services. 1-403. The Commission shall terminate on December 31, 1978, unless sooner extended. JIMMY CARTER The White House, June 5, 1978. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:18 a.m., June 6, 1978]
Executive Order 12063—United States Court of Military Appeals Nominating Commission
Executive Brief • At a Glance
There is established the United States Court of Military Appeals Nominating Commission.
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Jimmy Carter on June 5, 1978, this order concerns United States Court of Military Appeals Nominating Commission. 1-1. Establishment of the Commission. 1-101. There is established the United States Court of Military Appeals Nominating Commission. The Commission shall be comprised of six members appointed by the President. 1-102. Not more than three members shall be officials of the Federal government. The Federal members shall include the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, who shall chair the Commission.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
There is established the United States Court of Military Appeals Nominating Commission.
The Commission shall be comprised of six members appointed by the President. 1-102.
Not more than three members shall be officials of the Federal government.
The Federal members shall include the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, who shall chair the Commission.
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
Creates friction with the Tenth Amendment by conditioning state grants, mandating local compliance, or preempting state police powers.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.
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 (2)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 12,063 (June 5, 1978), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12063-united-states-court-military-appeals-nominating-commission.