Executive Order 13557: Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice
President: Barack Obama
Specified which eligible Justice Department officials could act as Attorney General during a vacancy or absence.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13557 still in effect? No. Revoked and replaced by EO 13787 in 2017.
What does Executive Order 13557 do?
EO 13557 set a departmental succession order after the Deputy and Associate Attorneys General, subject to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and presidential discretion. It did not appoint an acting attorney general itself. EO 13787 expressly revoked and replaced it in 2017.
Before and after
Before the order
An earlier order supplied a different sequence.
After the order
The 2010 sequence governed until the Trump administration issued EO 13787.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Listed officials | Serve when legally eligible and reached | Historical |
| Justice Department | Maintain continuity procedures | Continuing under successor order |
| President | Retain lawful designation discretion | Continuing |
What happened next
EO 13557 issued.
EO 13787 revoked and replaced it.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Appointments Clause, 28 USC 508 and the Vacancies Reform Act govern acting service and can limit the executive order.
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.
- U.S. Code — 28 USC 508 (opens in a new tab) Official record
- U.S. Code — Vacancies Reform Act (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →