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Executive Order 12215 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 12215—Delegation of Panama Canal Functions

Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter
•
Tuesday, May 27, 1980
•
6 min read (1,163 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 Jimmy Carter on 1980-05-27, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Delegation of Panama Canal Functions." 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

▪ 1), as amended, by the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat.
▪ The Secretary of Defense shall develop for the President's consideration an appropriate legislative proposal as required by Section 3(d) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat.
▪ The Secretary of Defense shall coordinate development of this proposal with the Secretary of State and the heads of other interested Executive agencies.
▪ 1281(b)), as amended, with respect to areas and installations made available to the United States pursuant to the Agreement in Implementation of Article IV of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 is delegated to the Secretary of Defense.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
1,163
6,752 characters
Estimated Read Time
6 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
9.9
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 12215, Jimmy Carter (May 27, 1980). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12215-delegation-panama-canal-functions.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America by the Panama Canal Code (76A Stat. 1), as amended, by the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 452; 22 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), and by Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1-1. The Secretary of Defense. 1-101. The Secretary of Defense shall develop for the President's consideration an appropriate legislative proposal as required by Section 3(d) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 456; 22 U.S.C. 3602(d)). The Secretary of Defense shall coordinate development of this proposal with the Secretary of State and the heads of other interested Executive agencies. 1-102. The function vested in the President by Section 1212(d)(1) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 464; 22 U.S.C. 3652(d) (1)) to exclude employees of, or positions within, the Department of Defense from coverage under any provision of subchapter II, Chapter 2 of Title I of the Panama Canal Act of 1979, is delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-103. The function vested in the President by Section 1281 (b) of Title 6 of the Panama Canal Code (76A Stat. 455; 6 P.C.C. 1281(b)), as amended, with respect to areas and installations made available to the United States pursuant to the Agreement in Implementation of Article IV of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 is delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-104. The function vested in the President by Section 1701 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 492; 22 U.S.C. 3801), with respect to regulations applicable within the areas and installations made available to the United States pursuant to the Agreement in Implementation of Article IV of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, is delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-105. The functions vested in the President by Sections 1243(c)(1) and 2401 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 474 and 495; 22 U.S.C. 3681 (c) (1) and 3851) are delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-106. The functions vested in the President by Section 1502(a) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 488; 22 U.S.C. 3782(a)) are delegated to the Secretary of Defense. I-2. Coordination of Pay and Employment Practices. 1-201. In order to coordinate the policies and activities of agencies under subchapter II of Chapter 2 of Title I of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 463; 22 U.S.C. 3651 et seq.), each agency shall periodically consult with the Secretary of Defense with respect to the establishment of rates of pay, in order to develop compatible or unified systems for basic pay. In addition, each agency shall consult with the Secretary of Defense on such other matters as the Secretary may deem appropriate in order to develop compatible or unified employment practices. 1-202. The head of each agency shall, upon approval by the Secretary of Defense, adopt a schedule of basic pay pursuant to Section 1215 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 465; 22 U.S.C. 3655) and adopt regulations governing other matters relating to pay and employment practices. 1-203. The authority vested in the President by Section 1223(a) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 to coordinate the policies and activities of agencies (93 Stat. 467; 22 U.S.C. 3663(a)) is delegated to the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary shall exercise such functions in a manner which is in accord with the provisions of Sections 1-201 and 1-202 of this Order. 1-3. Panama Canal Commission. 1-301. The functions vested in the President and delegated to the Secretary of Defense in this Section 1-3 of this Order shall be carried out by the Secretary of Defense, who shall, in carrying out the said functions, provide, by redelegation or otherwise, for their performance, in a manner consistent with paragraph 3 of Article III of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, by the Panama Canal Commission. 1-302. The authority of the President under Section 1104 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 457; 22 U.S.C. 3614) to fix the compensation of and to define the authorities and duties of the Deputy Administrator and the Chief Engineer is delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-303. The functions vested in the President by Sections 1418, 1801, and 2206 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 487, 492, and 494; 22 U.S.C. 3778, 3811, and 3844) are delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-304. The authority of the President under Section 1701 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 492; 22 U.S.C. 3801) with respect to regulations applicable within the areas and installations made available to the United States pursuant to the Agreement in Implementation of Article III of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 is delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-305. The function vested in the President by Section 1281(b) of Title 6 of the Panama Canal Code (76A Stat. 455; 6 P.C.C. 1281(b)), as amended, with respect to areas and installations in the Republic of Panama made available to the United States pursuant to the Agreement in Implementation of Article III of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 is delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-306. The functions vested in the President by Sections 82 and 86 of Title 3 of the Panama Canal Code (76A Stat. 54 and 55; 3 P.C.C. 82 and 86), as amended, are delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-307. The functions vested in the President by subsections (a), (b) and (c) of Section 8146 of Title 5 of the United States Code, as they apply to the employees of the Panama Canal Commission, are delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-308. Except to the extent heretofore delegated, the functions vested in the President pursuant to subchapter II of Chapter 2 of Title I of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 463) are hereby delegated to the Secretary of Defense. 1-4. Other Agencies. 1401. The functions vested in the President by Sections 1111 and 3301 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 459 and 497; 22 U.S.C. 3621 and 3871), are delegated to the Secretary of State. The Secretary shall perform these functions in coordination with the Secretary of Defense. 1-402. The functions vested in the President by Sections 1112(d), 1344(b), and 1504(b) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 460, 484, and 488; 22 U.S.C. 3622(d), 3754(b), and 3784(b) ) are delegated to the Secretary of State. 1-403. The functions vested in the President by Section 1243(a)(1) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 473: 22 U.S.C. 3681(a)(1)) are delegated to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 1-404. Paragraphs (22) and (23) of Section 1 of Executive Order No. 11609, as amended, and Executive Order No. 11713 are revoked. JIMMY CARTER The White House, May 27, 1980. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 3:44 p.m., May 27, 1980]