Do Executive Orders Have to Be Followed?

Lichtman says that while an executive order is not a law (a law must be passed by Congress and signed by the president), it has the force of a law and it must be carried out. What it doesn't have is permanence. "They have to be obeyed while they're in effect," Lichtman says.

Do civilians have to follow executive orders?

Executive orders can only be given to federal or state agencies, not to citizens, although citizens are indirectly affected by them.

Can Congress override an executive order?

An executive order has the power of federal law. ... Congress may try to overturn an executive order by passing a bill that blocks it. But the president can veto that bill. Congress would then need to override that veto to pass the bill.