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Executive Order 13341 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.23) 📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority

Executive Order 13341—Further Amendment to Executive Order 11023, Providing for the Performance by the Secretary of Commerce of Certain Functions Relating to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Thursday, May 20, 2004
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4 min read (847 words)
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69 Fed. Reg. 29843

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 4 min read (847 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

As a result of the enactment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372), the following conforming amendments are made to Executive Order 11023 of May 28, 1962, as amended: (a) In section 1(a), delete "section 6(b) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948 (62 Stat. 298; 33 U.S.C. 853e(b))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 223(b) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3023(b))".

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Armed Forces & Military Establishments Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants Private Citizens & Property Owners

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

Signed by President George W. Bush on May 20, 2004, this order concerns Further Amendment to Executive Order 11023, Providing for the Performance by the Secretary of Commerce of Certain Functions Relating to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As a result of the enactment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372), the following conforming amendments are made to Executive Order 11023 of May 28, 1962, as amended: (a) In section 1(a), delete "section 6(b) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948 (62 Stat. 298; 33 U.S.C. 853e(b))" and insert in lieu thereof…

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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As a result of the enactment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372), the following conforming amendments are made to Executive Order 11023 of May 28, 1962, as amended: (a) In section 1(a), delete "section 6(b) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948 (62 Stat. 298; 33 U.S.C. 853e(b))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 223(b) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3023(b))".

▪

In section 1(b), delete "section 12(a) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948, as amended (75 Stat. 506; 33 U.S.C. 853j–1(a))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 229(a) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3029(a))".

▪

In section 1(c), delete "section 12(b) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948, as amended (75 Stat. 506; 33 U.S.C. 853j–1(b))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 229(b) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3029(b))".

▪

In section 1(d), delete "section 12(c) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948, as amended (75 Stat. 506; 33 U.S.C. 853j–1(c))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 229(c) of the Na tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3029(c))".

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
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The Framers' Constitutional Council

1787 Prism

Evaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.

🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority)
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"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: 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
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Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions

An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.

🛡️ High Constitutional Concordance
28 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

Low Friction

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

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

Moderate Friction

Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.

Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment

Federalism & State Sovereignty

Moderate Friction

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

Due Process & Individual Rights

Low Friction

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

Youngstown Jacksonian Tier

Low Friction

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 in close harmony with statutory authority and standard Article II supervisory execution.

Weighted composite: Art. I (25%), Art. II (25%), Federalism (15%), Due Process (15%), Youngstown (20%).
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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
847
5,351 characters
Estimated Read Time
4 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
13
College Level
Language Tone Score
+0.23
Constitutional Fidelity
How is this scored?
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Official Archival Text

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📑Sections Outline (2 sections)

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. #sec-1

As a result of the enactment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372), the following conforming amendments are made to Executive Order 11023 of May 28, 1962, as amended: (a) In section 1(a), delete "section 6(b) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948 (62 Stat. 298; 33 U.S.C. 853e(b))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 223(b) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3023(b))". (b) In section 1(b), delete "section 12(a) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948, as amended (75 Stat. 506; 33 U.S.C. 853j–1(a))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 229(a) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3029(a))". (c) In section 1(c), delete "section 12(b) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948, as amended (75 Stat. 506; 33 U.S.C. 853j–1(b))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 229(b) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3029(b))". (d) In section 1(d), delete "section 12(c) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948, as amended (75 Stat. 506; 33 U.S.C. 853j–1(c))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 229(c) of the Na tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3029(c))". (e) Section 1(e) shall be revised to read as follows: "The authority vested in the President by section 243(b) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3043(b)), to defer the retirement of an officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration serving in a rank above that of captain who has attained 62 years of age, but such a deferment may not extend beyond the first day of the month in which the officer becomes 64 years of age." (f) Section 1(f) shall be revised to read as follows: "The authority vested in the President by section 244 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3044), to retire from the active service any commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, upon his own application, who has completed 20 years of active service, of which at least 10 years was service as a commissioned officer." (g) In section 1(g), delete "section 23(a) of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers Act of 1948, as amended (75 Stat. 506; 33 U.S.C. 853t(a))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 221(a)(4) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3021(a)(4))". (h) In section 1(h), delete "section 1(1) of the Act of December 3, 1942 (56 Stat. 1038; 33 U.S.C. 854a–1(1))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 230(b)(1) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3030(b)(1))". (i) In section 1(i), delete "section 1(2) of the Act of December 3, 1942 (56 Stat. 1038; 33 U.S.C. 854a–1(2))" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 230(b)(2) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3030(b)(2))". (j) Section 1(j) shall be revised to read as follows: "The authority contained in section 230(b)(3) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107– 372; 33 U.S.C. 3030(b)(3)), to appoint temporarily in all grades to which original appointments in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are authorized to fill vacancies caused by transfer of officers to the military departments." (k) In section 1(k), delete "section 16 of the Act of May 22, 1917 (40 Stat. 87; 33 U.S.C. 855)" and insert in lieu thereof: "section 251 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–372; 33 U.S.C. 3061)", and delete the word "personnel" in the two places in which it appears and insert in lieu thereof: "officers".

Sec. 2. #sec-2

Section 1(m) is added to Executive Order 11023 to read as follows: "(m) The authority vested in the President by Public Law 96–215, as amended (10 U.S.C. 716(a)), to transfer any commissioned officer with his consent from his uniformed service to, and appoint him in, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provided consent for the transfer is given by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as applicable, in accordance with joint regulations issued under that statute establishing the policies and procedures for such transfers and appointments." GEORGE W. BUSH The White House, May 20, 2004. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:09 a.m., May 24, 2004]

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 13,341, 69 Fed. Reg. 29,843 (May 20, 2004).