The Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution addresses:

Question

Accepted Answer

Presidential disability and succession procedures. The Twenty-Fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967, establishes clear procedures for presidential succession and addresses situations involving presidential disability. Section 1 confirms that the Vice President becomes President (not merely acting President) upon the President's death, resignation, or removal. Section 2 provides for filling a vice presidential vacancy through presidential nomination and congressional confirmation. Sections 3 and 4 establish procedures for temporarily transferring power when the President is unable to discharge duties.

The abolition of the poll tax in federal elections was accomplished by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964). The extension of voting rights to eighteen-year-olds was established by the Twenty-Sixth Amendment (1971). Presidential term limits were established by the Twenty-Second Amendment (1951), which limits the President to two elected terms in response to Franklin Roosevelt's four election victories.

The Twenty-Fifth Amendment was prompted by concerns arising from President Kennedy's assassination in 1963, which left the vice presidency vacant, and by President Eisenhower's health crises during his presidency. The amendment has been invoked several times: Section 2 was used to fill the vice presidency when Spiro Agnew resigned (Gerald Ford was nominated) and again when Ford became President (Nelson Rockefeller was nominated). Section 3 has been used when presidents have undergone medical procedures requiring anesthesia. The amendment is essential knowledge for the CLEP exam because it clarifies succession procedures that the original Constitution left ambiguous.

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