25th Amendment of the US Constitution
- Recently there has been controversy over the demand to implement the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution. It may be noted that several people have demanded Vice President Mike Pence to implement the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution after Donald Trump supporters caused a fuss in the US Parliament Capitol Hill.
- The 25th Amendment is known as the 1967 amendment to the United States Constitution.
- Through this amendment, succession rules related to vacancy and disqualification of the posts of President and Vice President have been laid down.
- This amendment was proposed by the US Congress on July 6, 1965, and was passed on February 10, 1967.
The Twenty-fifth Amendment, primarily, has four articles :
- In the first article, the traditional succession process is codified upon the death of the President, under which the Vice-President will hold the office of the President until the term is over. It also changes about the promotion of the Vice President upon his resignation from the post of President.
- The second article of the amendment makes provisions regarding the vacancy of the post of Vice-President.
- The third article sets out a formal procedure for determining the President’s abilities to discharge the powers and duties of the ‘presidency’. If the President can announce his / her inability, the Vice-President will take over as the acting President.
- The fourth article of the amendment provides that, if the President is unable to declare his incompetence, the Vice-President and the Cabinet will jointly examine it. In this situation, the Vice-President will immediately take over as the Acting President.
- Vice President Pence is seeking to implement only the fourth paragraph of the Twenty-fifth Amendment against President Trump.
The twenty-fifth amendment used in the past :
- The twenty-fifth amendment was proposed by Congress on July 6, 1965, and ratified by the US states on February 10, 1967, after the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.
- The Fourth Article of the Twenty-fifth Amendment has never been implemented yet.
The reason for the fuss in Capitol Hill by Donald Trump supporters :
- President Trump, without any valid evidence, has repeatedly insisted that the presidential election in November was rigged.
- Members of the US Congress gathered in Capitol Hill, the US Parliament, to confirm the counting of Electoral College votes. The vote would have paved the way for Joe Biden to formally take office on January 20, after the US Congress ratified the vote. Trump, meanwhile, inspired supporters to make their voices heard by the US Congress.
Source : Indian Express
