Which pairing are at the same level in the hierarchy of legal authority?

• A. Treaties and administrative regulations.
• B. Federal executive orders and administrative regulations.
• C. Treaties and statutes.
• D. Federal statutes and treaties.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that different sources of law sit at different levels of authority. Both executive orders and administrative regulations come from the executive branch and are primarily tools for directing government action and implementing policy within the scope of statutes or the Constitution. Because they are produced by the same branch and serve similar purposes—binding rules that govern how federal operations are carried out—they are considered to occupy the same level in the hierarchy.

Treaties are international agreements that become federal law, often treated separately from domestic administrative rules, and statutes are laws enacted by Congress. While all of these are federal law, the pairing of executive orders with administrative regulations reflects two forms of executive/administrative guidance that share the same rank, which is why this option is the best fit for “same level.”