Executive Order 13896, signed on October 28, 2019, established a federal Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice tasked with reviewing policing practices across all government levels. The commission was directed to examine use of force policies, officer training standards, and criminal justice procedures, ultimately producing a final report in December 2020 with recommendations for Congress and federal agencies. As a presidential executive order, this action created an advisory body without independent statutory authority, relying instead on the president's executive power to gather information and direct executive branch agencies.

The commission's work affected federal law enforcement agencies directly, as well as state and local jurisdictions receiving federal funding or guidance on policing standards. Officers, police departments, and the broader criminal justice system became subjects of the commission's review, while the general public had potential interests in any resulting policy changes regarding police accountability and training requirements. The commission's recommendations, however, carried no binding force on state and local governments operating independently of federal directives.

This action emerges within a broader pattern of Trump administration actions affecting democratic institutions and accountability structures. While the commission ostensibly addressed law enforcement governance, it occurred alongside executive actions that would later restrict voting access through citizenship verification requirements and mail ballot distribution limitations, suggesting competing priorities within the administration's approach to democratic administration. The commission's work predated more aggressive assertions of executive authority visible in subsequent actions including mass pardons for January 6 insurrectionists and visa cancellations targeting critical international press.

The commission's recommendations, issued before the administration's departure, largely expired with the order itself, as successor administrations typically either rescind or supersede such advisory bodies. No significant litigation challenged the commission's establishment, though questions about its independence and composition arose during its operation. Reversal would require simply allowing the executive order to lapse or issuing a new order dissolving the body, a standard executive succession practice that occurred when the administration changed.