Executive Order 13242: Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Commerce
President: George W. Bush
Set an eight-office line of succession to act as Commerce Secretary when both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary were unavailable, subject to presidential discretion and federal vacancies law.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13242 still in effect? No. Revoked May 21, 2012; successor order established.
What does Executive Order 13242 do?
The order assigned these duties: Listed Commerce officials — Act as Secretary in the specified order; President — Depart from the sequence where vacancies law allowed.
Checked the listed Commerce succession sequence and the 2002 acting-capacity amendment. Confirmed EO 13613 revoked EO 13242 and the referenced 2002 memorandum in 2012 and supplied a replacement.
Before and after
Before the order
Earlier orders and one provision of EO 12608 governed Commerce succession through an older departmental structure.
After the order
EO 13242 revoked the prior Commerce succession authorities and created a new sequence. EO 13261 amended its acting-capacity restriction in 2002. EO 13613 revoked EO 13242 and an intervening presidential memorandum in 2012 and supplied a successor sequence.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Listed Commerce officials | Act as Secretary in the specified order | During a qualifying vacancy or inability |
| President | Depart from the sequence where vacancies law allowed | Case by case |
| Commerce Department | Apply eligibility and acting-capacity restrictions | Whenever succession was required |
What happened next
EO 13242 signed.
EO 13242 replaced three earlier Commerce succession authorities.
EO 13261 amended the acting-capacity exception.
A presidential memorandum designated additional Commerce officers.
EO 13613 revoked EO 13242 and the 2002 memorandum.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act limited eligibility, time in office and performance of exclusive duties. EO 13242 was an internal succession mechanism, not an appointment, and created no private entitlement. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →