Plain-English reference
Legal and administrative glossary
Glossary reviewed September 10, 2026
Short definitions for terms used in executive orders, agency implementation and court updates. These explanations are general reading aids: the linked document and the context of a particular case or action remain controlling.
A
- Administrative agency
- A federal department, agency or other executive-branch body that carries out responsibilities assigned by the Constitution, Congress or the president.
- Administrative Procedure Act (APA)
- The federal statute that sets many of the procedures agencies use to issue rules and that governs judicial review of many agency actions.
- Administrative record
- The materials an agency considered or relied on when making a decision. In a court challenge, this record often forms the basis for reviewing the agency’s action.
- Amend
- To change part of an earlier order or other legal document while leaving the rest in place. An amendment is different from revoking the entire document.
C
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
- The subject-based collection of general and permanent rules published by federal agencies. A Federal Register citation identifies publication; a CFR citation identifies where a rule is codified.
D
- Delegated authority
- Power that the Constitution or Congress gives to another official or body to act within stated limits. An executive order may direct how the president or an agency uses existing delegated authority.
- Docket
- The court’s chronological record of filings, orders and other events in a case. A docket link may lead to many documents rather than one final decision.
E
- Effective date
- The date on which a legal document or particular provision begins to operate. It may differ from the signing or publication date.
- Executive order
- A numbered written presidential directive that manages operations of the executive branch or exercises authority assigned to the president. It does not override the Constitution or a valid Act of Congress. Read the full guide.
F
- Federal Register
- The federal government’s daily journal for presidential documents, rules, proposed rules and notices. EO Explained uses it to verify order numbers, titles, dates and official text.
- Final rule
- An agency document that completes a rulemaking step and states the rule’s requirements and effective date. A final rule can still be amended, delayed or challenged.
G
- Guidance
- An agency statement explaining policy, interpretation or recommended practice. Whether a document creates binding requirements depends on its legal basis and effect, not only its label.
I
- Implementing action
- A later rule, memorandum, report, grant decision or enforcement step taken by an agency in response to an order. The order’s direction and the agency’s implementation are tracked separately.
- Injunction
- A court order requiring or preventing specified conduct. An injunction may be temporary or permanent and may apply only to particular parties or measures.
J
- Judgment
- A court’s formal disposition of a case or claim. An opinion explains reasoning; the judgment records the legal result, and either may be followed by an appeal.
N
- Notice and comment
- A common rulemaking process in which an agency publishes a proposed rule, invites public comments and considers them before issuing a final rule. Statutes provide exceptions and variations.
P
- Presidential memorandum
- A presidential directive that may address matters similar to an executive order but is not numbered in the executive-order series. Its effect depends on its text and legal authority.
- Proclamation
- A presidential document often used for ceremonial observances or for actions a statute authorizes the president to proclaim, including some trade and public-land actions.
R
- Regulation or rule
- An agency statement issued under legal authority to implement, interpret or prescribe law or policy. Rules of general and continuing effect are codified in the CFR.
- Remand
- An appellate court’s act of sending a case back to a lower court or other decision-maker for further proceedings. A remand does not necessarily dictate the eventual outcome.
- Rescind
- To withdraw or cancel an earlier policy or agency action. The exact effect depends on what is rescinded and whether other authority or completed action remains.
- Revoke
- To withdraw an earlier presidential action. A revocation ends that directive prospectively, but it does not automatically undo every separate action already taken under it.
S
- Statute
- A law enacted by Congress and signed by the president, enacted over a veto or otherwise made law under the Constitution. General and permanent federal statutes are organized by subject in the United States Code.
- Statutory authority
- Power granted by an Act of Congress. When a guide lists authority named in an order, the list repeats what the existing text or analysis states and is not an exhaustive legal conclusion.
- Stay
- A court order that pauses a proceeding, ruling or legal effect while another issue is considered. A stay is not itself a final decision on the merits.
- Supersede
- To replace an earlier provision or document with a later one. The later action should be read to determine which parts were replaced and when.
T
- Temporary restraining order (TRO)
- A short-term court order intended to preserve the position while the court considers whether to issue a preliminary injunction. Its duration and scope are stated in the order.
U
- United States Code (U.S.C.)
- The subject-based codification of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It contains statutes, not agency regulations or court decisions.
V
- Vacatur
- A court remedy that sets aside a decision or agency action. Its practical reach may depend on the judgment, later rulings and the court’s jurisdiction.
Official reference points
Definitions are written for this site and checked against official explanations. For fuller context, use the United States Courts legal glossary (opens in a new tab), the Office of the Federal Register guide (opens in a new tab), the Code of Federal Regulations (opens in a new tab) and the Office of the Law Revision Counsel’s U.S. Code guide (opens in a new tab).
For a specific order, rule or case, read the source linked from that guide. This glossary is general information, not legal advice.