Executive Order 12252 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 12252—The Honorable John William McCormack

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Monday, November 24, 1980

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1 min read (150 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 1980-11-24, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "The Honorable John William McCormack." 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

▪ Pursuant to the provisions of Section 4 of Proclamation 3044 of March 1, 1954, as amended, that until interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff on all buildings, grounds and naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions.

▪ I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular ofrices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities

Total Words

150

918 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

15.7

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 12252, Jimmy Carter (Nov 24, 1980). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12252-the-honorable-john-william-mccormack.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

As a mark of respect to the memory of the Honorable John William McCormack, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and a Representative of the State of Massachusetts, it is hereby ordered, pursuant to the provisions of Section 4 of Proclamation 3044 of March 1, 1954, as amended, that until interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff on all buildings, grounds and naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular ofrices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations. JIMMY CARTER The White House, November 24, 1980. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:55 p.m., November 24, 1980]