Constitutional Amendments: Article XX

 

We have been covering the US Constitution line by line.  When Republicans wave their paper props and parrot their vile machinations, we will be prepared to expose the lies.  We have finished the main body of the Constitution.  Now we continue with the Amendments.  You can find the last article on the main body of the Constitution here. It has links to all the others.  The text comes from The US Constitution.  Previous articles in the Amendment series:

Article I

Articles II and III

Article IV

Article V

Article VI

Article VII

Article VIII

Articles IX and X

Articles XI and XII

Article XIII

Article XIV

Article XV

Article XVI

Article XVII

Article XVIII

Article IX

 

Article [XX]

1:  The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

2:  The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

3:  If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President.  If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

4:  The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

5:  Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

6:  This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

The Twentieth Amendment, passed in 1933, is mostly housekeeping updates to other Amendments.

Clause 1 sets 1/20 as the date Presidential terms end and begin.  It is not controversial.  However it is interesting to note that SCOTUS used this deadline as an excuse to appoint GW Bush as president in 2000, stopping the recount before it ascertain that Gore actually won Florida and with it, the election.  As such, it figures in the greatest American disaster since the Civil War.

Clause 2 sets 1/3 as the date the House and Senate shall convene annually. It is not controversial.  However it is interesting to note that this date is the one time each year that the House and Senate change their rules by majority vote.  If Republicans win the House they will likely reinstate their old rule that no bill or amendment can come to the floor unless it has receive4d the support of the majority in the majority caucus.  In the Senate, it’s the best opportunity for Democrats to end the filibuster and individual holds.

Clauses 3 and 4 adjust the succession of the President and Vice President.  They are not controversial.

Clause 5 assures that, upon ratification, there would be time to plan for the schedule changes.  It is not controversial.

Clause 6 sets a seven year time limit for ratification.  This is not controversial.  However it is interesting to note that the Equal Rights Amendment lacks such a time limit.  It can still be adopted if ratified by three more states.  Illinois is the only solidly blue state of the fifteen that have not ratified it.

I shall try to put up a new article in this series almost every day.  It will take some time to cover it all, but when we’re done, we shall be immune to the lies with which Republicans seek to undermine our freedoms.