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The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Student Legal Services

Executive orders

Executive orders are issued from the executive branch of the government, specifically the U.S. President or the state governor. An executive order is not a law in the sense that it does not go through the legislative process. It is not binding on everyone, only on employees of the executive branch. However, executive orders are subject to judicial review after the fact (i.e. they can be declared unconstitutional by the court).