self-executing

American  

[self-ek-si-kyoo-ting, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈɛk sɪˌkyu tɪŋ, ˈsɛlf- /

adjective

1. going into effect immediately without the need of supplementary legislation.

   a self-executing treaty.

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self-executing British  

adjective

1. (of a law, treaty, or clause in a deed or contract, etc) coming into effect automatically at a specified time, no legislation or other action being needed for enforcement

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Etymology

Origin of self-executing

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

That provision, he wrote, does not actually bind the executive branch because it is not “self-executing,” freeing the commander in chief to disregard it.

From Slate

“Our democracy is not self-executing,” former President Obama said recently.

From Los Angeles Times

We just talked about these lines in the law, and how the lines don’t matter if people don’t observe them, that they’re not self-executing.

From Slate

The justices may also have to decide whether the language of the amendment is "self-executing" - that is, whether it was not necessary for Congress to pass accompanying legislation to give the amendment teeth.

From BBC

Importantly, the Supreme Court in 1883 declared that the 14th Amendment is “undoubtedly self-executing without any ancillary legislation.”

From Los Angeles Times