Some have relatively little formal authority, while others enjoy wide powers. (educationnext.org)
Congress has formal authority over trade policy under the US Constitution, but it has generally delegated much of its authority to the executive branch in modern times. (vox.com)
But the obligation to a purely formal authority which must be blindly obeyed receives from Jesus a transformation which goes beyond anything known to us in contemporary rabbinic criticism. (religion-online.org)