Executive Order 9888 Constitutional Friction / Overreach (-0.19)

Executive Order 9888—Suspending Certain Statutory Provisions Relating to Employment in the Canal Zone

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Tuesday, August 26, 1947

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1 min read (180 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 Harry S Truman on 1947-08-26, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Suspending Certain Statutory Provisions Relating to Employment in the Canal Zone." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.

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

▪ Findings such action necessary because of a shortage of housing, I hereby suspend, for the fiscal year 1948, the application of those portions of the cited sections of the respective Acts which require the employment of citizens of the Republic of Panama or of the United States in skilled, technical, clerical, administrative executive, or supervisory positions.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners

Total Words

180

1,091 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

27.5

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

-0.19

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 9888, Harry S Truman (Aug 26, 1947). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-9888-suspending-certain-statutory-provisions-relating-employment-the-canal.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 2 of the War Department Civil Appropriation Act, 1948 (Public Law 296, 80th Congress), section 104 of the Navy Department Appropriation Act, 1948 (Public Law 202, 80th Congress), and section 5 of the Military Appropriation Act, 1948 (Public Law 267, 80th Congress), relating to certain kinds of employment in the Canal Zone, and deeming such course to be in the public interest, I hereby suspend, from and including the effective dates of the said Acts, compliance with the provisions of the said sections during the continuance of any of the wars in which the United States is now engaged or of the present national emergency. Findings such action necessary because of a shortage of housing, I hereby suspend, for the fiscal year 1948, the application of those portions of the cited sections of the respective Acts which require the employment of citizens of the Republic of Panama or of the United States in skilled, technical, clerical, administrative executive, or supervisory positions. HARRY S. TRUMAN THE WHITE HOUSE, August 26, 1947