Executive Order 11649 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 11649—Regulations Governing the Seals of the President and the Vice President of the United States

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Wednesday, February 16, 1972

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2 min read (336 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 Richard Nixon on 1972-02-16, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Regulations Governing the Seals of the President and the Vice President of the United States." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: This action represents an orderly exercise of Article II administrative discretion, managing the internal machinery and personnel of the executive branch without abridging the ancient liberties of the people.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 713 (b) of title 18, United States Code, I hereby prescribe the following regulations governing the use of the Seals of the President and the Vice President of the United States: SECTION 1.

▪ The manufacture, reproduction, sale, or purchase for resale, either separately or appended to any article manufactured or sold, of the Seals of the President or Vice President, or any likeness or substantial part thereof, except as provided in this Order or as otherwise provided by law, is prohibited.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Executive Branch Departments 🏛️ General Body of the People

Total Words

336

2,059 characters

Estimated Read Time

2 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

31.3

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 11649, Richard Nixon (Feb 16, 1972). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-11649-regulations-governing-the-seals-the-president-and-the-vice-president.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 713 (b) of title 18, United States Code, I hereby prescribe the following regulations governing the use of the Seals of the President and the Vice President of the United States: SECTION 1. Except as otherwise provided by law, the knowing manufacture, reproduction, sale, or purchase for resale of the Seals or Coats of Arms of the President or the Vice President of the United States, or any likeness or substantial part thereof, shall be permitted only for the following uses: (a) Use by the President or Vice President of the United States; (b) Use in encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, journals, pamphlets, periodicals, or magazines incident to a description or history of seals, coats of arms, heraldry, or the Presidency or Vice Presidency. Such use shall be limited exclusively to the text, and any use of the Presidential or Vice Presidential Seal or Coat of Arms or any likeness or substantial part thereof on the cover of the above items is prohibited ; (c) Use in libraries, museums, or educational facilities incident to descriptions or exhibits relating to seals, coats of arms, heraldry, or the Presidency or Vice Presidency; (d) Use as an architectural embellishment in libraries, museums, or archives established to house the papers or effects of former Presidents or Vice Presidents; (e) Use on a monument to a former President or Vice President; (f) Use by way of photographic or electronic visual reproduction in pictures, moving pictures, or telecasts of bona fide news content; (g) Such other uses for exceptional historical, educational, or newsworthy purposes as may be authorized in writing by the Counsel to the President. SEC. 2. The manufacture, reproduction, sale, or purchase for resale, either separately or appended to any article manufactured or sold, of the Seals of the President or Vice President, or any likeness or substantial part thereof, except as provided in this Order or as otherwise provided by law, is prohibited. RICHARD NIXON The White House, February 16, 1972