Time to invoke the 25th Amendment for Joe now? - 2/20/24

4 sections in the 25th Amendment explained with actual examples. Brief history leading to the amendment and afterwards.

Someone should invoke the 25th amendment for our country's sake, no? Our national security is in jeopardy.

Congress introduced joint resolutions on January 1, 1965

House and Senate approved their own versions in April 1965

Committee created to resolve their differences

Congress passed Amendment on July 6, 1965

Amendment ratified on February 10, 1967
19 months after proposal

Ratified by ¾ of states (38/50)

Another 9 states ratified

3 states never ratified:

- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- Georgia

President Johnson signed the 25th amendment into law on February 23, 1967

25th Amendment by Section (1-4) Examples:

25th Amendment by Section (1-4)

Section 1:

President Nixon resigned, VP Gerald Ford became President on August 9, 1974… death, resignation, removal or incacipitation
Section 2:

President Nixon nominated House Republican Leader Gerald Ford to be VP in 1973 after VP Spiro Agnew resigned.

"In 1973, Agnew was investigated by the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland on suspicion of criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud. Agnew took kickbacks from contractors during his time as Baltimore county executive and governor of Maryland. The payments had continued into his time as vice president, but had nothing to do with the Watergate scandal, in which he was not implicated. After months of maintaining his innocence, Agnew pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office. Nixon replaced him with House Republican leader Gerald Ford. Agnew spent the remainder of his life quietly, rarely making public appearances. He wrote a novel and a memoir, both of which defended his actions. Agnew died at home in 1996 at age 77 of undiagnosed acute leukemia."

President Ford became President in 1974. Ford invoked Section 2 to nominate Nelson Rockfeller, confirmed on December 19, 1974, to fill the resulting VP vacancy.

President Ford was the first President to become President without election. He lost the following election to Jimmy Carter.
Ford was President for 895 days (August 4, 1974 to January 20, 1977)

Section 3:

President Reagan transferred power to VP G.W. Bush because of injury due to failed assassination and re-claimed the power – once. Never invoked section 3 but followed amendment requirements.

President George W. Bush transferred power to VP and back - twice. Colonoscopies, 2 hours each

Section 4:

Never been used to date, vote by 2/3 in each chamber of Congress

Biden to VP Harris? Current order of Succession:
Biden to Harris to House Speaker to President Pro Tempore of the Senate (party majority); Cabinet in Executive Branch only