Fact Check—CNN's Blitzer: Sheriffs Can't Defy Executive Orders
Discussing gun control, CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday told a Utah
sheriff that if Barack Obama issues an executive order, that order is
the law and the sheriff must obey. However, jurisprudence on this topic
reveals exactly the opposite.
As the head of the executive branch of the federal government, a
president can issue executive orders only to employees of the federal
government—and only regarding implementing federal laws or programs. A
governor can likewise issue executive orders to employees of his state
government regarding the laws or programs of that state.
Every sheriff is a county officer, elected by the voters of that county. The Supreme Court held in
Printz v. U.S.
in 1997 that the Tenth Amendment forbids the federal government from
ever ordering any state or local official to carry out a federal
program. Ironically, that case also involved a sheriff—Jay Printz of
Montana—and a federal gun control law.
This is why the Country is going to shit.... !
