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Executive Order 6203 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 6203—Appointment of Postmasters

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt
•
Wednesday, July 12, 1933
•
2 min read (498 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 Franklin D. Roosevelt on 1933-07-12, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Appointment of Postmasters." 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

▪ If no such person is nominated the Postmaster General shall certify the fact to the Civil Service Commission which shall forthwith hold an open competitive examination to test the fitness of applicants not in either of the above mentioned classes to fill such vacancy.
▪ No person who has passed his sixty-sixth birthday shall be appointed acting postmaster in an office of the first, second or third class unless he is already in the postal service.
▪ The Civil Service Commission, in rating the examination papers of candidates who are veterans of the World War, Spanish-American War, or the Philippine Insurrection, shall add to their earned ratings five points and make certification to the Postmaster General in accordance with their relative positions thus acquired.
▪ As to such candidates all age limitations shall be waived.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
Total Words
498
3,038 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
23.5
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 6203, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Jul 12, 1933). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-6203-appointment-postmasters.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
When a vacancy exists or occurs in the position of postmaster at an office of the first, second or third class, the Postmaster General may submit to the President for renomination the name of the postmaster whose term has expired or is about to expire, or the name of some qualified person within the competitive classified Civil Service. If no such person is nominated the Postmaster General shall certify the fact to the Civil Service Commission which shall forthwith hold an open competitive examination to test the fitness of applicants not in either of the above mentioned classes to fill such vacancy. When such examination has been held and the papers submitted therewith have been rated, the Commission shall furnish a certificate of not less than three eligibles, if the same can be obtained, to the Postmaster General, who shall submit to the President the name of one of the highest three for appointment to fill such vacancy; provided that the Postmaster General may reject the name of any person or persons so certified if he shall find that such person or persons are disqualified, in which event, the said Commission shall upon request of the Postmaster General complete the certificate of three names; provided that no person who has passed his sixty-sixth birthday at the date for close of receipt of applications for such examination shall be permitted to take the same; and provided further that no person shall be examined for postmaster who has not actually resided within the delivery of the office for which application is made for the one year next preceding such date; and provided further that at the expiration of the term of any postmaster, or anticipating such expiration, or upon the death, resignation or removal of any postmaster, the Postmaster General may, in his discretion, request the Civil Service Commission to hold an examination. If, pursuant to this order, it is desired to submit to the President for nomination the name of a person in the competitive classified service, such person must first be found by the Civil Service Commission to possess the requisite qualifications. No person who has passed his sixty-sixth birthday shall be appointed acting postmaster in an office of the first, second or third class unless he is already in the postal service. The Civil Service Commission, in rating the examination papers of candidates who are veterans of the World War, Spanish-American War, or the Philippine Insurrection, shall add to their earned ratings five points and make certification to the Postmaster General in accordance with their relative positions thus acquired. The time such candidates were in the service during such wars may be reckoned by the Commission in making up the required length of business experience. As to such candidates all age limitations shall be waived. This order shall supersede all previous Executive Orders affecting the appointment of postmasters to post offices of the first, second and third classes. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, July 12, 1933.