Executive Order 9126 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 9126—Transferring Cognizance of the Duties and Functions of the Hydrographic Office and the Naval Observatory From the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, to the Chief of Naval Operations

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Wednesday, April 8, 1942

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1 min read (146 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 1942-04-08, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Transferring Cognizance of the Duties and Functions of the Hydrographic Office and the Naval Observatory From the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, to the Chief of Naval Operations." 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

▪ The duties and functions of the Hydrographic Office and Naval Observatory, Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, are hereby transferred to the cognizance and jurisdiction of the Chief of Naval Operations under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners

Total Words

146

872 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

18.6

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 9126, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Apr 8, 1942). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-9126-transferring-cognizance-the-duties-and-functions-the-hydrographic.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

By virtue of the authority vested in me by Title I of the First War Powers Act, 1941, approved December 18, 1941 (Public Law 354, 77th Congress), and for the more effective exercise and more efficient administration of my powers as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1. The duties and functions of the Hydrographic Office and Naval Observatory, Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, are hereby transferred to the cognizance and jurisdiction of the Chief of Naval Operations under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy. 2. All personnel, together with the whole of the records and public property now under the cognizance of the Bureau of Navigation in the Hydrographic Office and the Naval Observatory are assigned and transferred to the Office of Chief of Naval Operations. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, April 8, 1942.