Proclamation 9951-Death of Elijah E. Cummings
Issued 2019-10-17 by Donald J. Trump
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
President Donald J. Trump issued Proclamation 9951 on October 16, 2019, titled "Death of Elijah E. Cummings." This action ordered that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff. This order applied to the White House, all public buildings and grounds, military posts and naval stations, and naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and across the United States, its Territories, and possessions. It also directed that flags be flown at half-staff at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
This action affected all federal government entities responsible for flying flags at the specified locations, and was issued as a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service of Representative Elijah E. Cummings, of Maryland. The flag was to remain at half-staff through October 18, 2019. Presidents have issued proclamations since George Washington, and they can be ceremonial, like expressing national sentiment, or substantive. While this proclamation states it is issued by the authority vested in the President by the Constitution and laws, its legal weight depends on specific statutory authority. Without such backing, it serves as an expression of executive policy.
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
This proclamation issues "Proclamation 9951-Death of Elijah E. Cummings". Presidents have issued proclamations since George Washington, and they carry the force of law when grounded in specific statutory authority delegated by Congress. Proclamations can be ceremonial (expressing national sentiment) or substantive (exercising delegated trade, immigration, or emergency powers).
The legal weight of this proclamation depends on the specific statutory authority it invokes. Without statutory backing, a proclamation is merely an expression of executive policy with no binding legal effect on citizens. With statutory backing, it can create enforceable rules — but those rules must stay within the scope of what Congress authorized.
Official Summary
Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2019 Proclamation 9951—Death of Elijah E. Cummings October 17, 2019 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation As a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service of Representative Elijah E. Cummings, of Maryland, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions through October 18, 2019. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations. In Witness Whereof , I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth. D ONALD J.<FONT