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Executive Order 9170 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 9170—Making Certain Navigation Laws of the United States Applicable to the Virgin Islands

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt
•
Thursday, May 21, 1942
•
2 min read (377 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 1942-05-21, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Making Certain Navigation Laws of the United States Applicable to the Virgin Islands." 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

▪ 1807, 1808), as amended by the act of August 7, 1939 (53 Stat.
▪ 1242), provides in part as follows: (c) No Federal laws levying tonnage duties, light money, or entrance and clearance fees shall apply to the Virgin Islands.
▪ 96), as amended by the acts of February 19, 1900 (31 Stat.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
377
2,166 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
12.3
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 9170, Franklin D. Roosevelt (May 21, 1942). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-9170-making-certain-navigation-laws-the-united-states-applicable-the.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
Whereas section 4 of the act of Congress of June 22, 1936, entitled "An Act to provide a civil government for the Virgin Islands of the United States" (49 Stat. 1807, 1808), as amended by the act of August 7, 1939 (53 Stat. 1242), provides in part as follows: (c) No Federal laws levying tonnage duties, light money, or entrance and clearance fees shall apply to the Virgin Islands. (d) The Legislative Assembly of the Virgin Islands shall have power to enact navigation, boat inspection, and safety laws of local application; but the President shall have power to make applicable to the Virgin Islands such of the navigation, vessel inspection, and coastwise laws of the United States as he may find and declare to be necessary in the public interest, and, to the extent that the laws so made applicable conflict with any laws of local application enacted by the Legislative Assembly, such laws enacted by the Legislative Assembly shall have no force and effect. And Whereas I find that it is necessary in the public interest that certain navigation and vessel inspection laws of the United States be made applicable to the Virgin Islands, as hereafter stated: Now, Therefore , by virtue of the authority vested in me by the statutory provisions above set forth, it is ordered that all of the navigation land vessel inspection laws of the United States be, and they are hereby, made applicable to the Virgin Islands of the United States, with the following exceptions: (1) The coastwise laws of the United States. (2) The act of Congress approved June 7, 1897 (30 Stat. 96), as amended by the acts of February 19, 1900 (31 Stat. 30), May 25, 1914 (38 Stat. 381), March 1, 1933 (47 Stat. 1417), August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 668, 669), May 20, 1936 (49 Stat. 1367), and April 22, 1940 (54 Stat. 150). (3) So much of the vessel inspection laws of the United States as requires the inspection as a passenger vessel of any cargo vessel, foreign or domestic, when carrying more than twelve passengers or persons in addition to the crew. (4) Federal laws levying tonnage duties, light money, or entrance and clearance fees. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, May 21, 1942.