Executive Order

Executive Orders are official directives adopted by the U.S. President or a state governor that manages operations of the government. An Executive Order allows the chief executive to act without express legislative action, but may be easily reversed by a subsequent administration. Executive orders are subject to judicial review and may be overturned if the orders lack support by statute or the Constitution.

In Oklahoma, Executive Orders of previous gubernatorial administrations terminate 90 calendar days following the inauguration of the next governor unless otherwise terminated or continued during that time by Executive Order. 

At the national level, the text of Executive Orders appears in the daily Federal Register as they are signed by the President. The National Archives maintains a list of all Executive Orders indexed by Presidents, by Order number, and by subject. In Oklahoma, Executive Orders are compiled by the Secretary of State.

Data compiled by the Federal Register shows that President Donald Trump signed 143 Executive Orders within his first 100 days of office in 2025, whereas President Joe Biden signed a total of 162 Executive Orders during his entire 4-year term from 2021-2025.