By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution of the United States of America, and in order to provide for the consistent implementation of import restrictions imposed against Uganda by Section 5(c) of the Act of October 10, 1978 (92 Stat. 1051), it is hereby ordered as follows: 1-101. The Secretary of the Treasury shall administer those provisions of Section 5(c) of the Act of October 10, 1978 ',Public Law 95-435; 92 Stat. 1051; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) which prohibit a corporation, institution, group or individual from importing, directly or indirectly, into the United States or its territories or possessions any article grown, produced, or manufactured in Uganda. The Secretary of the Treasury shall issue such regulations that the Secretary deems necessary to implement those import restrictions. Prior to issuing those regulations the Secretary of the Treasury shall consult with the Secretary of State. 1-102. The Secretary of State shall advise the President whenever the Secretary believes that "the Government of Uganda is no longer committing a consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights" within the meaning of Section 5(c) of the Act of October 10, 1978. 1-103. If the President determines that the Government of Uganda is no longer committing a consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights, he shall so certify to the Congress. Thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury shall revoke the regulations issued pursuant to this Order. JIMMY CARTER The White House, February 6, 1979. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:44 a.m., February 7, 1979]
Executive Order 12117 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
📜 Art. I §8: Delegated Tariff & Commerce Execution
Executive Order 12117—Imports From Uganda
Executive Brief • At a Glance
⏱️ 1 min read (257 words) •
● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate
The Secretary of the Treasury shall administer those provisions of Section 5(c) of the Act of October 10, 1978 ',Public Law 95-435; 92 Stat. 1051; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) which prohibit a corporation, institution, group or individual from importing, directly or indirectly, into the United States or its territories or possessions any article grown, produced, or manufactured in Uganda.
⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 Art. I §8: Delegated Tariff & Commerce Execution
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Sovereign State Governments & Localities Private Citizens & Property Owners Financial Institutions & Monetary Authorities
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 February 6, 1979, this order concerns Imports From Uganda. 1-101. The Secretary of the Treasury shall administer those provisions of Section 5(c) of the Act of October 10, 1978 ',Public Law 95-435; 92 Stat. 1051; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) which prohibit a corporation, institution, group or individual from importing, directly or indirectly, into the United States or its territories or possessions any article grown, produced, or manufactured in Uganda.
Constitutional Assessment: This action represents an orderly exercise of Article II administrative discretion, managing the internal machinery and personnel of the executive branch without abridging the ancient liberties of the people.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪
The Secretary of the Treasury shall administer those provisions of Section 5(c) of the Act of October 10, 1978 ',Public Law 95-435; 92 Stat. 1051; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) which prohibit a corporation, institution, group or individual from importing, directly or indirectly, into the United States or its territories or possessions any article grown, produced, or manufactured in Uganda.
▪
The Secretary of the Treasury shall issue such regulations that the Secretary deems necessary to implement those import restrictions.
▪
Prior to issuing those regulations the Secretary of the Treasury shall consult with the Secretary of State. 1-102.
▪
The Secretary of State shall advise the President whenever the Secretary believes that "the Government of Uganda is no longer committing a consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights" within the meaning of Section 5(c) of the Act of October 10, 1978. 1-103.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities
🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
🏛️ Financial Institutions & Monetary Authorities
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 1 (Maximum Authority)
§
"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."
— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
JM
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.
Madisonian Stance: Concurring (Statutory)
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: Supportive of Execution
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
32 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8
Low Friction
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Operates within delegated statutory execution without modifying legislative appropriations or taxing powers.
Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3
Moderate Friction
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.
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
Moderate Friction
Due Process & Individual Rights
Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.
Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers
Low Friction
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
Benchmark: Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
⚖️
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
257
1,610 characters
Estimated Read Time
1 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
13.1
College Level
Text size:
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Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 12,117 (Feb. 6, 1979), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12117-imports-from-uganda.
