We can expect to start seeing some executive orders from President Obama real soon now. Executive orders are strange animals. They are supposed to be instructions to members of the executive branch on how to interpret a certain law. They should only clarify existing acts of Congress. However, presidents as far back as FDR have strayed into questionable territory. Hopefully Obama won’t do that, though it would certainly keep things interesting.
It’s not entirely clear where the line is. The Supreme Court has only overturned two orders in the history of the country. One when Truman tried to federalize all steel mills, and another when Clinton tried to keep the federal government from contracting with companies that hired strike-breakers.
There have been a number of notable executive orders over the years:
- Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
- FDR’s confiscation of gold
- FDR prohibiting racial, religious, and ethnic discrimination in the defense industry
- FDR interning Japanese-Americans during World War II
- Truman integrating the military
# FDR prohibiting racial, religious, and ethnic discrimination in the defense industry
# FDR interning Japanese-Americans during World War II
Now that’s a fun blend. You’d think it would take at least two Roosevelts to generate that much irony.