Constitution Index · H.R. 8326 · 2026-04-16
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 16 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Drive in Willingboro, New Jersey, as the "James A. Cotten Post Office".
Latest official status (2026-07-22): Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
Constitutional grade
A
Constitutional
This bill merely names a federal post office building after an individual. It does not expand federal power, restrict rights, or affect individual sovereignty. The action falls within Congress's enumerated authority over postal services under Article I, Section 8, Clause 7, and raises no constitutional concerns.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 7
SI-generated grade · passed automated checks (real Constitution citation, language rules) · not individually reviewed by a person · methodology · Report an error: hello@valuesforamerica.com
The five checks
Enumerated powers · passes
Congress has explicit authority under Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 to establish post offices and post roads. Naming a specific postal facility is a routine exercise of that authority and does not exceed it.
Bill of Rights · passes
The bill does not implicate any of the first ten amendments. It restricts no speech, religion, assembly, press, petition, arms, quartering, search, self-incrimination, due process, trial, jury, or cruel punishment rights.
Individual liberty · passes
The bill imposes no restriction on personal liberty, property, speech, labor, or belief. It merely designates a building name and does not burden any individual's freedom.
Decentralization · passes
The action is a purely federal matter concerning a federal facility. It does not consolidate decision-making upward beyond the necessary level, as naming a federal post office is inherently a federal function. The four-question test is satisfied: individuals, localities, and states cannot name federal facilities, and no higher level of government than Congress is involved.
Due process and takings · passes
The bill does not deprive anyone of life, liberty, or property, nor does it take private property. It involves no adjudicative process and no compensation issue.
Provenance
- Congress.gov: HR 8326 summary · fetched 2026-10-14 · official page ↗
Version history · never overwritten
| Grade | Graded | Rubric | Source hash | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A · #1015 | 2026-10-14 | vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0 | 6018e086f5cf | current |
Cite this
Values for America. “Constitutional grade: H.R. 8326, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 16 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Drive in Willingboro, New Jersey, as the "James A. Cotten Post Office"..” VFA Constitution Index, grade 1015 (rubric vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0), graded October 14, 2026. https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/1015. Accessed 2026-10-19.
Permalink: https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/1015
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