Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Amendment XXV (the Twenty-fifth Amendment) of the United States Constitution was ratified on February 10, 1967 and provides more details regarding the succession of presidents. It reads as follows:
- Section 1.
- In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
- Section 2.
- Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
- Section 3.
- Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.
- Section 4.
- Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
- Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
- the process of filling the office of Vice President, should it become unexpectedly vacant.
- the process for establishing an Acting President, who has the authority to temporarily discharge the full duties of the presidency, during a temporary period of inability of the real president to do the same.
- To appoint Gerald Ford, at the time a member of the House of Representatives, as Vice President following Spiro Agnew's resignation. Ford was designated on October 12, 1973 and confirmed by Congress on December 6 of that year.
- To appoint Governor Nelson Rockefeller as Ford's successor to the Vice Presidency, following President Richard Nixon's resignation and Ford's ascendancy to the office of President. Rockefeller was designated on August 20, 1974 and confirmed by Congress on December 19 of that year.
- By Ronald Reagan to designate Vice President George Bush as Acting President on July 13, 1985, while Reagan underwent surgery to remove cancerous polyps from his colon.
- By George W. Bush to designate Vice President Dick Cheney as Acting President on June 29, 2002, while Bush underwent a colonoscopy.
See also
External links
| 24th Amendment | Amendments
United States Constitution |
26th Amendment |
