Amendment XXV (25)

Amendment XXV

Ratified February 10, 1967.

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 twenty-fifth amendment is important because it clarified a plan of succession for both the Vice President as well as the President. This amendment takes the place of Article II, Section I. This article doesn't state whether the Vice President becomes President, if he/she dies, resigns, is removed from office or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers of the presidency. The clause didn't state who had the power to declare the President to be deprived of his/her power and it also for filling the Vice Presidential vacancy prior to the next Presidential election. Kennedy's assassination was an event that really sparked Congress into taking action. Lyndon Johnson took over and then suffered from a heart attack which led to either John McCormack or Carl Hayden next in line to take over. The first effort was called the Keating-Kefauver proposal that was proposed right after Johnson's inauguration in 1965. The Bayh-Celler proposal in 1965 succeeded and soon would become the twenty-fifth amendment, with a little bit of tweaking from the House.



     This picture is the cover of a book that was written about the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan that happened in 1981. He became the first U.S. President to survive being shot in an assassination attempt. Without the twenty-fifth amendment, many people across the United States would be struck with confusion and wonder of who would take Presidency if Reagan had not survived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY20AR_dTEE

     This video clip shows the footage of the Kennedy assassination that brought the country deep into major distress. This criminal act sparked congress to create a plan of action. With Lyndon Johnson's support, Keating-Kefauver was proposed and the amendment was ratified in February of 1967.