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Executive Order 8277 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 8277—Transfer of Jurisdiction Over Certain Lands From the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of War

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt
•
Saturday, October 28, 1939
•
2 min read (358 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 1939-10-28, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Transfer of Jurisdiction Over Certain Lands From the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of War." 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

▪ Formal executive instruction issued by the President establishing official administrative policy on Transfer of Jurisdiction Over Certain Lands From the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of War.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners 🏛️ Public Health & Medical Institutions
Total Words
358
2,167 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
18.3
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 8277, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Oct 28, 1939). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-8277-transfer-jurisdiction-over-certain-lands-from-the-secretary.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
OKLAHOMA Whereas certain lands in the State of Oklahoma within the hereinafter-described areas have been acquired or are in process of acquisition under the authority of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, approved April 8, 1935 (49 Stat. 115), in connection with the Cookson Hills (LA-OK 2) Land-Utilization and Land-Conservation Project of the Department of Agriculture; and Whereas by Executive Order No. 7908, dated June 9, 1938, all the right, title, and interest of the United States in such lands, acquired or in process of acquisition, was transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture for use, administration, and disposition in accordance with the provisions of Title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, approved July 22, 1937 (50 Stat. 522, 525), and the related provisions of Title IV thereof; and immediately upon the acquisition of legal title to those lands now in process of acquisition the said order, by the terms thereof, will become applicable to all the additional right, title, and interest thereby acquired by the United States; and Whereas it appears that the use of such lands as a military reservation would be in the public interest; Now, Therefore , by virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 32 of Title III of the said Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, and upon recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture, it is ordered that all lands within the hereinafter-described areas acquired or in process of acquisition by the United States, together with the improvements thereon, be, and they are hereby, transferred from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of War for use as a military reservation: Provided, however , that the Secretary of Agriculture shall retain such jurisdiction over the lands now in process of acquisition by the United States as may be necessary to enable him to complete their acquisition. MUSKOGEE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA INDIAN MERIDIAN T. 14 N., R. 20 E., sec. 5, those parts lying west of State Highway No. 10. T. 15 N., R. 20 E., sec. 29, W½; sec. 30, E½E½NE¼; sec. 32, those parts lying west of State Highway No. 10. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, October 28, 1939.