The sentence at the end of every executive order — creating a body while stating it grants no one any right
The President issued an executive order establishing a commission concerning military spouses. The commission terminates in two years, and the order closes with a provision stating that it creates no right or benefit for anyone.
Document overview (primary data)
- Document typePresidential document
- AgencyExecutive Office of the President
- Citation91 FR 51059
- EO numberEO 14417
Key points
- The President issued an executive order establishing a commission concerning military spouses.
- The Chair is the spouse of the Secretary, with an Executive Director designated by the President and spouses of senior leaders as members.
- The commission terminates two years from the date of the order.
- The order closes with a provision stating it creates no right or benefit, substantive or procedural, for any party.
- Of the 63 presidential documents this site holds as of 2026-09-02, 16 are executive orders.
1What an executive order can do
An executive order is a command the President issues to the executive branch. It is not legislation, cannot make law and cannot contradict law. What it can do is establish bodies within the executive branch and direct how discretion granted by statute is exercised, among other things. This one establishes a body.
- 1EstablishmentThe President Military Spouse Commission is created
- 2ChairThe spouse of the Secretary serves as Chair, with an Executive Director designated by the President
- 3MembersSpouses of the service secretaries and other senior military leaders
- 4TermThe commission terminates two years from the date of the order
The fixed term is worth noting. Advisory bodies created by executive order customarily carry an end date. This site also covers the statute requiring bodies that advise government to meet in public and follow transparent procedures, so how such bodies sit within the system can be read across both.
2The general provision at the end
Executive orders customarily close with a provision stating that the order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by any party. In other words, no individual is expected to go to court because its contents were not followed.
That an executive order is direction aimed inside the executive branch, rather than law creating rights and duties directly, is written out in terms.
3Then what is it for
If it creates no rights, what does it accomplish? It tells parts of the executive branch what to prioritise and take up. Where a commission is created, work proceeds and recommendations are assembled. Whether those recommendations reach statute or budget is left to other procedures.
4Where it sits among presidential documents
Of the 63 presidential documents this site holds as of 2026-09-02, 16 are executive orders, second to proclamations at 29. Being direction to the executive branch, they tend to carry more practical consequence.
Why it matters
Executive orders customarily disclaim creating rights, yet as direction to the executive branch they still shape practice. Their effect is traced not in the order but in the rulemaking and budgeting that follow.
FAQ
Is an executive order the same as legislation?
Why state that it creates no right?
Sources (primary)
Source: Federal Register (federal documents, public domain). Links go to the official site.