About Proclamations and Executive Orders
The President has constitutional and statutory authority to issue executive orders and proclamations. Other official presidential communications, e.g. "signing statements" (made when signing a bill into law) or explanations of vetoes of legislation, are also of interest to legal researchers. A signing statement, for example, is generally considered part of a statute's legislative history even though it comes from the President and not from the Congress.
Proclamations: formal public announcements, often relating to ceremonial or celebratory occasions, that may have significant legal consequences.
Executive Orders: Carrying the force of law, executive orders direct an agency or official to take a specific action. For example, an executive order created the plan of succession for the Department of Homeland Security.
Official Compilations
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
Begins with the papers of President Hoover, skips President Roosevelt (whose papers were published separately), and continues to present. They contain most of the President's public messages, statements, speeches, and news conference remarks. Proclamations and executive orders are included from 1977 on. Both sources linked below contain the Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
- The American Presidency ProjectAll proclamations since 1789 and all executive orders since 1826.
- HeinOnline: United States Presidential Library This link opens in a new window
Weekly/Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents
Weekly from 1965 through January 29, 2009 and daily since then, the Compilation of Presidential Documents was issued every Monday by the Office of the Federal Register and is now a daily publication. Sources include:
- govInfo This link opens in a new window
- HeinOnline: United States Presidential Library This link opens in a new windowThis library includes such titles as Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Public Papers of the Presidents (Hoover-Present), CFR Title 3 (Presidents), Weekly Compilation of the Presidential Documents, Economic Report of the President, and other documents relating to U.S. presidents.
- Westlaw Edge This link opens in a new windowWestlaw access is restricted to current students, faculty, and staff of the Law School.
Preferred Citation: The Bluebook states that the preferred citation is to the Public Papers if the document appears in both the Public Papers and weekly/Daily Compilation.
Proclamations and Executive Orders: Other Sources
In addition to the general compilations of presidential documents described elsewhere in this Guide, proclamations and executive orders are found in:
- HeinOnline: Federal Register Collections This link opens in a new windowProclamations and executive orders appear in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Since 1976, Title 3 of the CFR has been published as a separate annual volume containing all of the presidential documents published in the Federal Register during the previous year. Previous issues covered various time periods.
- HeinOnline: U.S. Statutes at Large This link opens in a new windowIncludes proclamations but not executive orders. Also available in print: XXKF50.U55, D'Angelo Law, Reading Room
- HeinOnline: United States Code This link opens in a new windowIncludes some proclamations and executive orders following the statutory sections to which they relate. There are tables that show where specific proclamations and executive orders can be found. Also available in print: XXKF62 2012 .A2, D'Angelo Law, Reading Room
- Westlaw: Executive Office of the PresidentExecutive and administrative orders, proclamations, trade agreement letters, and other documents released by the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Coverage begins with 1936.
- The American Presidency ProjectAll proclamations since 1789 and all executive orders since 1826.
- Presidential Actions via Whitehouse.govThe President's website has all proclamations and executive orders of the current administration in chronological order.
