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Executive Order 14106 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.46) 📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority

Executive Order 14106—United States Coast Guard Officer Personnel Management

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Monday, August 14, 2023
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5 min read (922 words)
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88 Fed. Reg. 55905

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 5 min read (922 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

During a time of war or national emergency, the Secretary of Homeland Security is directed to perform the authority vested in the President by section 2125 of title 14, United States Code, to suspend the operation of any law relating to the selection, promotion, or involuntary separation of officers of the Coast Guard, and to temporarily promote officers serving on active duty and chief warrant officers serving on active duty, as authorized by section 2125 of title 14, United States Code, without the approval, ratification, or other action by the President.

⚖️ 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 Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

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

Signed by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on August 14, 2023, this order concerns United States Coast Guard Officer Personnel Management. The Secretary of Homeland Security is directed to perform, without approval, ratification, or other action by the President, the following functions vested in the President: (a) the authority vested in the President by section 2118(a) of title 14, United States Code, to approve, modify, or disapprove the report of a selection board; (b) the authority vested in the President by sections 2118(b) and 2122(a) of title…

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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During a time of war or national emergency, the Secretary of Homeland Security is directed to perform the authority vested in the President by section 2125 of title 14, United States Code, to suspend the operation of any law relating to the selection, promotion, or involuntary separation of officers of the Coast Guard, and to temporarily promote officers serving on active duty and chief warrant officers serving on active duty, as authorized by section 2125 of title 14, United States Code, without the approval, ratification, or other action by the President.

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The Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that actions taken pursuant to the authority delegated by this section are accounted for as required by section 401 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1641).

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All actions heretofore taken by the President with respect to the matters affected by this order and in force at the time of issuance of this order, including any regulations prescribed or approved by the President with respect to such matters, shall, except as they may be inconsistent with the provisions of this order, remain in effect until amended, modified, or revoked pursuant to the authority conferred by this order.

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Whenever the entire Coast Guard operates as a service in the Navy, the references to the Secretary of Homeland Security in sections 1 and 2 of this order shall be deemed to be references to the Secretary of Defense.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
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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.

⚖️ Discretionary Twilight Zone
53 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

High Friction

Touches upon core congressional prerogatives: raises appropriations reallocation, tariff imposition, or statutory preemption questions.

Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

High Friction

Invokes broad unilateral or emergency executive authorities that test the constitutional boundary of the Take Care Clause.

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 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%).
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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
922
5,588 characters
Estimated Read Time
5 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
30.4
Post-Graduate Legal
Language Tone Score
+0.46
Constitutional Fidelity
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

View Source Document

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, and in order to delegate certain functions concerning the appointment, promotion, separation, and retirement of commissioned officers of the United States Coast Guard, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1 . #sec-1

The Secretary of Homeland Security is directed to perform, without approval, ratification, or other action by the President, the following functions vested in the President: (a) the authority vested in the President by section 2118(a) of title 14, United States Code, to approve, modify, or disapprove the report of a selection board; (b) the authority vested in the President by sections 2118(b) and 2122(a) of title 14, United States Code, to remove a name of an officer from a selection board report or a list of selectees; (c) the authority vested in the President by section 2101 of title 14, United States Code, to appoint officers from the categories described in section 2101(a)(1) of title 14, United States Code, to the grades of ensign, lieutenant (junior grade), and lieutenant, and to accept the resignations of officers appointed pursuant to section 2101 of title 14, United States Code; (d) the authority vested in the President by section 2121(e) of title 14, United States Code, to appoint officers in the grades of lieutenant (junior grade) and lieutenant; (e) the authority vested in the President by section 2104(a) of title 14, United States Code, to make temporary appointments not above lieutenant in the Regular Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve; (f) the authority vested in the President by section 2150(f) of title 14, United States Code, to approve the report of a board convened to recommend for continuation on active duty officers serving in the grade of captain; (g) the authority vested in the President by section 571(b) of title 10, United States Code, to appoint by commission regular chief warrant officers in the Coast Guard; and (h) the authority vested in the President by sections 12241(b) and 571(b) of title 10, United States Code, to appoint by commission reserve chief warrant officers in the Coast Guard.

Sec. 2 . #sec-2

(a) During a time of war or national emergency, the Secretary of Homeland Security is directed to perform the authority vested in the President by section 2125 of title 14, United States Code, to suspend the operation of any law relating to the selection, promotion, or involuntary separation of officers of the Coast Guard, and to temporarily promote officers serving on active duty and chief warrant officers serving on active duty, as authorized by section 2125 of title 14, United States Code, without the approval, ratification, or other action by the President. (b) During a time of war or national emergency, the Secretary of Homeland Security is directed to perform the authority vested in the President by section 3733 of title 14, United States Code, to suspend the operation of subchapter II of chapter 37 of title 14, United States Code, concerning officers of the Coast Guard Reserve without the approval, ratification, or other action by the President. (c) The authority delegated to the Secretary of Homeland Security by this section may not be exercised during the time of a national emergency declared by the President, unless the exercise of any such authority is specifically directed by the President in accordance with section 301 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1631). (d) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that actions taken pursuant to the authority delegated by this section are accounted for as required by section 401 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1641).

Sec. 3 . #sec-3

All actions heretofore taken by the President with respect to the matters affected by this order and in force at the time of issuance of this order, including any regulations prescribed or approved by the President with respect to such matters, shall, except as they may be inconsistent with the provisions of this order, remain in effect until amended, modified, or revoked pursuant to the authority conferred by this order.

Sec. 4 . #sec-4

As used in this order, the term "functions" embraces duties, powers, responsibilities, authority, or discretion, and the term "perform" may be construed to mean "exercise."

Sec. 5 . #sec-5

Whenever the entire Coast Guard operates as a service in the Navy, the references to the Secretary of Homeland Security in sections 1 and 2 of this order shall be deemed to be references to the Secretary of Defense.

Sec. 6 . #sec-6

If any provision of this order or the application of such provision is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and other dissimilar applications of such provision shall not be affected.

Sec. 7 . #sec-7

General Provisions . (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR. The White House, August 14, 2023.

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 14,106, 88 Fed. Reg. 55,905 (Aug. 14, 2023).