On January 21, 2009, US President Barack Obama issued the first executive orders of his presidency. The first, Executive Order 13489 [PDF], focused on White House transparency and reversed restrictions implemented by former President George W. Bush, by granting broader public access to previous presidential administrations records. The second, Executive Order 13490 [PDF], instituted an Ethics Pledge which banned most executive personnel from accepting gifts from lobbyists. The order also implemented "revolving door bans" to restrict personnel movement between related public and private sector jobs within certain time frames. Obama also issued a memorandum calling for new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) agency guidelines.

Learn more about President Barack Obama and the laws governing executive orders from the JURIST news archive and read about the Vice President and Presidential Record Act from JURIST Guest Columnists Victor Hansen and Lawrence Friedman in Forum.