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Executive Orders And Their Constitutionality Essay

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Executive Orders and Their Constitutionality Although nowhere in the Constitution are executive orders explicitly mentioned, Article II, Section I states that “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” The President’s power to issue executive orders comes from the Constitution and Congress. Executive orders have the full force of law when they take authority from a legislative power, which grants its power directly to the executive by the Constitution; executive orders do not require congressional approval. Similar to legislative statutes and regulations propagated by government agencies, executive orders are subject to judicial review, meaning that they can be struck down if deemed unconstitutional by the courts. Executive orders are not to be confused with executive agreements. Executive order carries out constitutional powers of the President without having to go through Congress. An executive agreement is an agreement with foreign heads of state concluded by Presidents under their power as Commander in Chief and their general authority in foreign affairs; executive agreements do not require ratification by the Senate. Examples of executive agreements include trade deals and military actions. Executive orders have been around since 1789, when George Washington was President of the United States, although until the early 1900s executive orders were unannounced and undocumented. Since 1789 more than 13,000 executive

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