United States order of precedence


The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order, or relative preeminence, for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic, ceremonial, and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy, and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents, vice presidents, first ladies, second ladies, and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
The order is established by the president, through the Office of the Chief of Staff, and is maintained by the State Department's Office of the Chief of Protocol. It is only used to indicate ceremonial protocol and has no legal standing; it does not reflect the presidential line of succession or the co-equal status of the branches of government under the Constitution. The Office of the Chief of Protocol posted an updated order of precedence on May 14, 2020.

Details as of July 31, 2020

Except as otherwise noted, positions in the list are from the following two sources.
  1. President of the United States
  2. Vice President of the United States
  3. Governor
  4. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
  5. Chief Justice of the United States
  6. Former presidents or their widows/widowers :
  7. #Jimmy Carter
  8. #Bill Clinton
  9. #George W. Bush
  10. #Barack Obama
  11. Former vice presidents or their widows/widowers :
  12. #Walter Mondale
  13. #Dan Quayle
  14. #Al Gore
  15. #Dick Cheney
  16. #Joe Biden
  17. Ambassadors from the United States
  18. Ambassadors from the United States to international organizations who hold Chief of Mission authority
  19. Chargés d'affaires from the United States
  20. Secretary of State
  21. President of the United Nations General Assembly
  22. Secretary-General of the United Nations
  23. President of the United Nations General Assembly
  24. Ambassadors to the United States
  25. Associate justices of the Supreme Court :
  26. #Clarence Thomas
  27. #Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  28. #Stephen Breyer
  29. #Samuel Alito
  30. #Sonia Sotomayor
  31. #Elena Kagan
  32. #Neil Gorsuch
  33. #Brett Kavanaugh
  34. Retired chief justices of the United States
  35. Retired associate justices of the Supreme Court :
  36. #Sandra Day O'Connor
  37. #Anthony Kennedy
  38. #David Souter
  39. Members of the Cabinet :
  40. #Secretary of the Treasury
  41. #Secretary of Defense
  42. #Attorney General
  43. #Secretary of the Interior
  44. #Secretary of Agriculture
  45. #Secretary of Commerce
  46. #Secretary of Labor
  47. #Secretary of Health and Human Services
  48. #Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  49. #Secretary of Transportation
  50. #Secretary of Energy
  51. #Secretary of Education
  52. #Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  53. #Secretary of Homeland Security
  54. #White House Chief of Staff
  55. #Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
  56. #Director of the Office of Management and Budget
  57. #Trade Representative
  58. #Ambassador to the United Nations
  59. #Administrator of the Small Business Administration
  60. #Director of National Intelligence
  61. #Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
  62. President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate
  63. Senate majority leader
  64. Senate minority leader
  65. Senate majority whip
  66. Senate minority whip
  67. Current U.S. senators
  68. Current state governors :
  69. #Governor of Delaware
  70. #Governor of Pennsylvania
  71. #Governor of New Jersey
  72. #Governor of Georgia
  73. #Governor of Connecticut
  74. #Governor of Massachusetts
  75. #Governor of Maryland
  76. #Governor of South Carolina
  77. #Governor of New Hampshire
  78. #Governor of Virginia
  79. #Governor of New York
  80. #Governor of North Carolina
  81. #Governor of Rhode Island
  82. #Governor of Vermont
  83. #Governor of Kentucky
  84. #Governor of Tennessee
  85. #Governor of Ohio
  86. #Governor of Louisiana
  87. #Governor of Indiana
  88. #Governor of Mississippi
  89. #Governor of Illinois
  90. #Governor of Alabama
  91. #Governor of Maine
  92. #Governor of Missouri
  93. #Governor of Arkansas
  94. #Governor of Michigan
  95. #Governor of Florida
  96. #Governor of Texas
  97. #Governor of Iowa
  98. #Governor of Wisconsin
  99. #Governor of California
  100. #Governor of Minnesota
  101. #Governor of Oregon
  102. #Governor of Kansas
  103. #Governor of West Virginia
  104. #Governor of Nevada
  105. #Governor of Nebraska
  106. #Governor of Colorado
  107. #Governor of North Dakota
  108. #Governor of South Dakota
  109. #Governor of Montana
  110. #Governor of Washington
  111. #Governor of Idaho
  112. #Governor of Wyoming
  113. #Governor of Utah
  114. #Governor of Oklahoma
  115. #Governor of New Mexico
  116. #Governor of Arizona
  117. #Governor of Alaska
  118. #Governor of Hawaii
  119. House majority leader
  120. House minority leader
  121. House majority whip
  122. House minority whip
  123. Current members of the U.S. House of Representatives
  124. Current delegates to the House of Representatives :
  125. #Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia
  126. #Gregorio Sablan of the Northern Mariana Islands
  127. #Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa
  128. #Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands
  129. #Jenniffer González of Puerto Rico
  130. #Michael San Nicolas of Guam
  131. Current territorial governors :
  132. #Governor of Puerto Rico
  133. #Governor of Guam
  134. #Governor of American Samoa
  135. #Governor of the US Virgin Islands
  136. #Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
  137. White House deputy chiefs of staff :
  138. #Chris Liddell
  139. #Anthony Ornato
  140. #Dan Scavino
  141. National Security Advisor
  142. Senior advisors to the President :
  143. #Jared Kushner
  144. #Stephen Miller
  145. Chief of Staff to the First Lady
  146. Chief of Staff to the Vice President
  147. Assistants to the President
  148. #Kellyanne Conway
  149. #Hope Hicks
  150. #Brooke Rollins
  151. #Peter Navarro
  152. #Larry Kudlow
  153. #Derek Lyons
  154. #Emma Doyle
  155. #Stephanie Grisham
  156. #Matthew Pottinger
  157. #Kristan King Nevins
  158. #Avi Berkowitz
  159. #John McEntee
  160. #Alyssa Farah
  161. #John Fleming
  162. #Kayleigh McEnany
  163. #Nicholas Luna
  164. #Amy Swonger
  165. Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
  166. Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality
  167. Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
  168. Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
  169. Chief of Protocol
  170. Ambassadors from the United States to international organizations who do not hold Chief of Mission authority
  171. Chargés d'affaires to the United States
  172. Former secretaries of state :
  173. #Henry Kissinger
  174. #George Shultz
  175. #James Baker
  176. #Madeleine Albright
  177. #Colin Powell
  178. #Condoleezza Rice
  179. #Hillary Clinton
  180. #John Kerry
  181. #Rex Tillerson
  182. Former members of the U.S. Cabinet
  183. Former U.S. senators
  184. Former governors of the state or territory in which the event is held
  185. Former governors
  186. Former U.S. representatives
  187. Deputy secretaries of executive departments :
  188. #Deputy Secretary of State
  189. #Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
  190. #Deputy Secretary of Defense
  191. #Deputy Attorney General
  192. #Deputy Secretary of the Interior
  193. #Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
  194. #Deputy Secretary of Commerce
  195. #Deputy Secretary of Labor
  196. #Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
  197. #Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  198. #Deputy Secretary of Transportation
  199. #Deputy Secretary of Energy
  200. #Deputy Secretary of Education
  201. #Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  202. #Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
  203. #Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
  204. #Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
  205. #Deputy trade representatives:
  206. ##Jeffrey Gerrish
  207. ##C.J. Mahoney
  208. ##Dennis Shea
  209. #Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations
  210. #Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration
  211. #Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
  212. #Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
  213. Secretaries of the military departments :
  214. #Secretary of the Army
  215. #Secretary of the Navy
  216. #Secretary of the Air Force
  217. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  218. Chairman of the Federal Reserve
  219. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
  220. Heads of independent federal agencies at Level II of the Executive Schedule
  221. #Director of the National Science Foundation
  222. #Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  223. #Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
  224. #Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States
  225. #Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  226. #Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management
  227. #Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
  228. #Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  229. #CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
  230. Vice-chair and governors of the Federal Reserve
  231. #Lael Brainard
  232. #Randal Quarles
  233. #Richard Clarida
  234. #Michelle Bowman
  235. #2 seats vacant
  236. Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
  237. Principal Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
  238. Director of the National Counterterrorism Center
  239. Deputy heads of independent federal agencies at Level II of the Executive Schedule
  240. Under secretaries of state and departmental positions of equivalent rank
  241. #Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  242. #Under Secretary of State for Management
  243. #Remaining under secretaries of state, ordered by date of appointment:
  244. ##Counselor of the United States Department of State
  245. ##Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
  246. ##Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
  247. ##Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
  248. ##Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
  249. Under secretaries of executive departments and departmental positions of equivalent rank, Treasurer of the United States, associate attorneys general, and Solicitor General
  250. Heads of federal departmental agencies
  251. Former chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  252. #Hugh Shelton
  253. #Richard Myers
  254. #Peter Pace
  255. #Michael Mullen
  256. #Martin Dempsey
  257. #Joseph Dunford
  258. Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  259. Joint chiefs of staff :
  260. #Chief of Staff of the Air Force
  261. #Commandant of the Marine Corps
  262. #Chief of Staff of the Army
  263. #Chief of Naval Operations
  264. Chief of the National Guard Bureau
  265. Commandant of the Coast Guard
  266. Combatant commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands of four-star grade :
  267. #Cyber Command
  268. #Northern Command
  269. #Indo-Pacific Command
  270. #Transportation Command
  271. #Southern Command
  272. #Central Command
  273. #Special Operations Command
  274. #European Command
  275. #Africa Command
  276. #Space Command
  277. #Strategic Command
  278. Heads of independent federal agencies at Level III of the Executive Schedule
  279. Deputy heads of independent federal agencies at Level III of the Executive Schedule
  280. Postmaster General
  281. Lieutenant governor
  282. Mayor
  283. Heads of international organizations when not at post
  284. Ambassadors or permanent representatives of foreign governments accredited to international organizations headquartered in the United States
  285. Ambassadors from the United States to foreign governments
  286. Chief of Protocol
  287. Ambassadors from the United States to international organizations who hold Chief of Mission authority
  288. Ambassadors from the United States to international organizations who do not hold Chief of Mission authority
  289. Career ambassadors
  290. Deputy Assistants to the President
  291. Chief judges and circuit judges of the United States Courts of Appeals
  292. Chief judges and district judges of the United States District Courts
  293. Chief Judge and judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  294. #Scott W. Stucky
  295. #Margaret A. Ryan
  296. #Kevin A. Ohlson
  297. #John E. Sparks
  298. #Gregory E. Maggs
  299. Chief Judge and judges of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  300. #Coral Wong Pietsch
  301. #Margaret Bartley
  302. #William S. Greenberg
  303. #Michael P. Allen
  304. #Amanda Meredith
  305. #Joseph Toth
  306. #Joseph L. Falvey Jr.
  307. Chief Judge and judges of the United States Tax Court
  308. Chargés d'affaires from the United States
  309. Under secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
  310. #Under Secretary of the Air Force
  311. #Under Secretary of the Army
  312. #Under Secretary of the Navy
  313. Assistant secretaries
  314. Chiefs of staff to heads of executive departments
  315. ambassadors-at-large
  316. Special envoys/representatives
  317. assistant attorneys general
  318. Legal advisers of executive departments
  319. Special Assistants to the President, including the White House social secretary and senior directors of the National Security Council
  320. Heads of independent federal agencies at Level IV of the Executive Schedule
  321. #Director of the Selective Service System
  322. #Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
  323. #Chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
  324. #Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission
  325. #President of the Inter-American Foundation
  326. #Commissioner of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation
  327. #Chairman of the Federal Election Commission
  328. #Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
  329. #Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel
  330. #Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency
  331. #Chairperson of the Chemical Safety Board
  332. #CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors and Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau
  333. #Chairman of the Election Assistance Commission
  334. Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  335. Deputy heads of independent federal agencies at Level IV of the Executive Schedule
  336. Assistant administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency
  337. Assistant administrators of the United States Agency for International Development
  338. Assistant trade representatives
  339. Associate administrators of the Small Business Administration
  340. Comptroller General of the United States
  341. Members of the Council of Economic Advisers
  342. Members of the Council on Environmental Quality
  343. American ambassadors-designate
  344. Mayors of U.S. cities
  345. Mayor of the District of Columbia
  346. Mayors of U.S. territories
  347. Vice chiefs of staff :
  348. #Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
  349. #Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
  350. #Vice Chief of Naval Operations
  351. #Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
  352. Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau
  353. Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
  354. Assistant secretaries and general counsels of the Department of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
  355. #Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
  356. #Assistant Secretary of the Navy
  357. #Assistant Secretary of the Navy
  358. #Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology
  359. #General Counsel of the Army
  360. #Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
  361. #General Counsel of the Air Force
  362. #Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
  363. #Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
  364. #Assistant Secretary of the Army
  365. #Assistant Secretary of the Navy
  366. #Assistant Secretary of the Army
  367. #Assistant Secretary of the Army
  368. #Assistant Secretary of the Army
  369. #General Counsel of the Navy
  370. #Assistant Secretary of the Navy
  371. Four-star military officers
  372. Executive Secretary of the National Security Council
  373. Officers of the U.S. Senate:
  374. #Chaplain
  375. #Secretary for the Majority
  376. #Secretary for the Minority
  377. #Secretary of the Senate
  378. #Sergeant at Arms
  379. #Parliamentarian
  380. Officers of the U.S. House of Representatives:
  381. #Chaplain
  382. #Chief Administrative Officer
  383. #Clerk of the House
  384. #Sergeant at Arms
  385. Three-star military officers
  386. State senators
  387. State representatives
  388. Former American ambassadors/chiefs of diplomatic missions
  389. Chairmen or heads of other federal boards, councils and commissions not previously listed
  390. Librarian of Congress
  391. Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
  392. Chairman of the American Red Cross
  393. Deputy chiefs of Protocol
  394. Minister-rank officials assigned to foreign bilateral diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C.
  395. Deputy under secretaries of executive departments
  396. Principal deputy assistant secretaries of executive departments
  397. Deputy counsels of executive departments
  398. Two-star military officers
  399. Deputy assistant secretaries of executive departments
  400. Deputy assistant secretaries and deputy general counsels of the Army, Navy and Air Force
  401. Directors of the National Security Council
  402. American consuls general to foreign governments
  403. American deputy chiefs of mission
  404. Assistant chiefs of protocol
  405. Minister-Counselor-rank officials assigned to foreign diplomatic missions
  406. Chief Judge and judges, United States Court of International Trade
  407. #Timothy C. Stanceu
  408. #Mark A. Barnett
  409. #Claire R. Kelly
  410. #Jennifer Choe-Groves
  411. #Gary Stephen Katzmann
  412. #Timothy M. Reif
  413. #M. Miller Baker
  414. #2 seats vacant
  415. Chief Judge and associate judges, United States Court of Federal Claims
  416. #Margaret M. Sweeney
  417. #Thomas C. Wheeler
  418. #Patricia E. Campbell-Smith
  419. #Elaine D. Kaplan
  420. #Lydia Kay Griggsby
  421. #Richard Hertling
  422. #Ryan T. Holte
  423. #David A. Tapp
  424. #Matthew H. Solomson
  425. #Eleni M. Roumel
  426. #6 seats vacant
  427. One-star military officers
  428. Directors of offices of executive departments
  429. Consuls general of foreign governments accredited to the United States
  430. Counselor-rank officials assigned to foreign bilateral diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C.
  431. Members of the Senior Executive Service not holding previously listed positions
  432. Members of other federal boards, councils, and commissions not previously listed
  433. Desk officers of executive departments
  434. First Secretary-rank officials assigned to foreign bilateral diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C.