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Executive Order 12879 Constitutional Fidelity (+0.23)

Executive Order 12879—Order of Succession of Officers To Act as Secretary of the Navy

William J. Clinton William J. Clinton
•
Monday, November 8, 1993
•
2 min read (409 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 William J. Clinton on 1993-11-08, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Order of Succession of Officers To Act as Secretary of the Navy." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

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

▪ Succession to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary of the Navy pursuant to this order shall be on a temporary or interim basis and shall not have the effect of vacating the statutory appointment held by the successor.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
Total Words
409
2,370 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
15.9
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.23
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 12879, William J. Clinton (Nov 8, 1993). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12879-order-succession-officers-act-secretary-the-navy.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 3347 of title 5, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Succession to the Authority of the Secretary of the Navy. (a) In the event of the death, permanent disability, or resignation of the Secretary of the Navy, the incumbents holding the positions designated below, in the order indicated, shall act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary of the Navy: (1) The Under Secretary of the Navy. (2) The Assistant Secretaries and General Counsel of the Navy, in the order fixed by their length of services as permanent appointees in such positions. (3) The Chief of Naval Operations. (4) The Commandant of the Marine Corps. (b) In the event of the temporary absence or temporary disability of the Secretary of the Navy, the incumbents holding the Department of the Navy positions designated in paragraph (a) of this section, in the order indicated, shall act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary of the Navy. (1) In these instances, the designation of an Acting Secretary of the Navy applies only for the duration of the Secretary’s absence or disability, and does not affect the authority of the Secretary to resume the powers of his office upon his return. (2) In the event that the Secretary of the Navy is merely absent from this position, the Secretary of the Navy may continue to exercise the powers and fulfill the duties of his office during his absence, notwithstanding the provisions of this order. (c) Precedence among those officers designated in paragraph (a) of this section who have the same date of appointment shall be determined by the Secretary of the Navy at the time that such appointments are made. (d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) and (b) of this section, an officer shall not act for or exercise the powers of the Secretary of the Navy under this order if that officer serves only in an acting capacity in the position that would otherwise entitle him to do so. Sec. 2. Temporary Nature of Succession. Succession to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary of the Navy pursuant to this order shall be on a temporary or interim basis and shall not have the effect of vacating the statutory appointment held by the successor. William J. Clinton THE WHITE HOUSE, November 8, 1993.