Executive Watch: Zick on Executive Orders and Official Orthodoxies

During his first term as president, Donald Trump signaled that he was not committed to pluralism and expressive liberty when it came to matters like patriotism, public protest, and other forms of dissent. During his second term, Trump has issued multiple executive orders that attempt to impose official orthodoxies or understandings regarding race, gender, patriotism, and other subjects. As we have seen, these edicts are not merely symbolic. The executive orders call for agency actions and criminal investigations, and place hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding at risk. The orders have affected what universities teach, which immigrants can migrate to or remain in the United States, which books students and soldiers can read, which version of American history is considered acceptable, which clients law firms can represent, who can serve in the U.S. military, and what kind of scientific research will be allowed. This abstract has been taken from the author's introductory paragraphs.