signing statement, bypass a statute

Don’t Rely on Bush’s Signing Statements, Obama Orders

By CHARLIE SAVAGE 1:12 PM ET

The president ordered executive officials to consult with the attorney general before relying on any of the signing statements to bypass a statute.

A signing statement is a written pronouncement issued by the President of the United States upon the signing of a bill into law.

There is an ongoing controversy concerning the extensive use of signing statements by President George W. Bush to modify the meaning of laws. In July 2006, a task force of the American Bar Association described the use of signing statements to modify the meaning of duly enacted laws as "contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional system of separation of powers".^[1]

While it is in theory possible for other executives to issue signing statements, there is no record of notable signing statements by anyone other than an American president.