Constitutional Opinion No. 2026-0728
Case Information
- Source
- The White House / Miller Center archive (millercenter.org)
- Author
- President Barack Obama
- Publication Date
- 2014-01-28
- Content Type
- Presidential Address
- Opinion Issued
- 2026-07-19
- AFCS Version
- 1.0
Holding
This is an opposing-administration State of the Union, and the Standard scores it as it scores its own — on the content, article by article, crediting what aligns and marking what does not. Much of the domestic program diverges from the Standard's commitments. On the economy, the dominant emphasis is redistributive rather than enterprise-first: an executive order raising the federal-contractor wage to $10.10 an hour, the framing of corporate profits higher but wages barely budged, and the 77 cents pay-gap claim are government wage-setting and inequality politics, in tension with Property and Enterprise (IX). The healthcare and education programs expand the federal role — the ACA, federal early-education and school-connectivity initiatives — against limits of Washington (XII). The energy passage is climate-dominant, the inverse of energy-dominance (XIII). And immigration is framed as reform to grow the economy, a loosening the controlled-borders commitment resists (VI). Two threads the Standard credits with the same discipline it applies to its own: the foreign-policy content is genuinely aligned with the non-interventionist clause — America's longest war will finally be over, and I will not send our troops into harm's way unless truly necessary (XVI); and the register is measured and dignified, which the reliability tier credits above the combative rallies. Notably, the address carries the same separation-of-powers strain the Standard flagged in a Trump executive-order announcement: wherever I can take steps without legislation is executive action around Congress (XVII), scored here as it was there (0720). Tier 1 nets to 46; with a measured Tier 2, the result is 52 — Mixed. Scored by the same rules, in the same way, as the Standard scores its own.
It is the judgment of this Court that Opinion No. 2026-0728 is hereby entered into the record, in accordance with the America First Constitutional Standard. The score stands. The reasoning is published. The record is public.