Where the evidence comes from
Source-link policy current September 11, 2026
Federal Register
Official publication, numbering and document metadata.
(opens in a new tab)White House
Signed presidential actions and administration statements.
(opens in a new tab)GovInfo
Authenticated Federal Register PDFs and permanent government records.
(opens in a new tab)Congress.gov
Statutes, bills and legislative materials relevant to presidential authority.
(opens in a new tab)Supreme Court
Opinions and orders from the Court.
(opens in a new tab)CourtListener
Searchable court opinions and docket materials where official court access is limited.
(opens in a new tab)Source labels
Primary and official sources include the order, statutes, rules, judgments, court records and government implementation material. Background sources are independent reporting or analysis used only to explain context. Order guides display these groups separately, and background material never replaces controlling authority.
How source links are maintained
Editors check the cited destination when a guide is reviewed and before a source is used to support a material factual change. The release checks also reject malformed external addresses and broken links within EO Explained, but they do not claim that every third-party page is continuously available.
- Prefer a stable first-party or official permalink and keep the publisher and document description visible.
- Do not silently replace a citation with a different document. A replacement must support the same statement and remain labeled with its actual publisher.
- If the evidence has materially changed, update the guide through the dated editorial review or correction process rather than treating a working link as proof that the wording is still current.
If a source page is unavailable
External records sometimes move, reject automated traffic or become temporarily unavailable. First look for the same record at the cited publisher or another official repository. Every order-page citation also includes an expandable link to look for saved copies in the Internet Archive.
A saved copy is a third-party snapshot: it can help locate the cited material, but it does not replace the publisher’s current record or support a newer status claim. If neither the cited record nor a reliable equivalent can be verified, retain a transparent limitation or remove the unsupported claim through the editorial process.
Report a source problem
Use the corrections guidance to identify the EO Explained page, the source label and what happened when you followed the link. Reports are assessed against the underlying evidence; a changed address alone does not alter an order’s stated status.