The Presidency

1
The Presidency

• Impeachment Succession

2
Lesson Objectives

• Identify the Constitutional amendments that
  address presidential succession
• Explain the process of impeachment
• Distinguish the roles of the two houses of the US
  Congress in the impeachment process

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Question 1

• Which of the following Presidents was never
  elected to an executive office?
• Andrew Johnson
• Gerald Ford
• John Tyler
• William H. Taft

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The Constitution and Executive Power

• Where is the first reference to executive power?
• Article 1 section 2
• When vacancies happen in the Representation from
  any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall
  issue Writs of Election to fill such vacancies
• Where is the first reference to the President of
  the United States?
• Article 1 section 3
• Impeachment trials When the President of the
  United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall
  preside
• What do these references tell us about the
  President and Congress?

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Impeachment

• Formal accusation by the legislative branch
• Not removal from office
• Not limited to presidents
• Any federal officer may be impeached
• House of Representatives has sole power of
  impeachment
• Implies a simple majority of House to impeach
• Senate tries all impeachments
• No person shall be convicted without the
  concurrence of two-thirds of the members present
• Two presidents have been impeached
• Andrew Johnson
• William J. Clinton
• A third was almost impeached
• Richard M. Nixon
• No president has been convicted

House Vote 501 Yes to impeach
Senate Vote 2/3 Yes to convict
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Question 2

• What is impeachment?
• Removal of the President of the United States by
  Congress after a trial in the Senate
• A political trial of executive officers by the
  Congress
• Removal of an executive or judicial officer by
  the legislative branch after a trial
• A formal accusation by the legislative branch
  against an executive or judicial officer

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Question 3

• What are the grounds for impeachment as stated in
  the Constitution?
• treason, bribery, or other high crimes and
  misdemeanors
• treason and bribery
• treason, bribery, and other high crimes and
  misdemeanors
• malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance

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Question 4

• Which of the following Presidents have been
  impeached?
• Nixon and Clinton
• Johnson and Clinton
• Johnson and Nixon
• None. No President has yet been impeached

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Succession

• A plurality of amendments address filling the
  office of President
• Amendment XII
• Modifies the Electoral College ballot
• Separate EC Ballots for PotUS and VPotUS
• Amendment XX
• Lame Duck amendment
• End of term changed from March to January
• Presidential succession in case of death or
  failure to qualify
• Amendment XXII
• Truman amendment
• Two-term limit
• Two-years acting president 1 term
• Amendment XXIII
• Presidential electors for District of Columbia
• Amendment XXIV
• Acknowledgement of primary elections
• Prohibition of poll taxes
• Amendment XXV
• Presidential succession in case of removal or
  resignation

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Question 5

• What is the maximum possible tenure of a
  President of the United States?
• four years
• ten years
• nine years, 364 days
• eight years

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Question 6

• What change in presidential election and
  succession was made by the ratification of
  Amendment 12?
• Electors each cast two ballots for president
• The Constitution formally recognizes the primary
  election system
• Electors cast two ballots one for president, one
  for vice-president
• The Presidential term ends in January instead of
  March

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Question 7

• A state law requiring citizens to pay a fee in
  order either to register to vote or cast a ballot
  is
• a ballot fee, which is prohibited under the 24th
  Amendment
• a poll tax, which is prohibited under the 24th
  Amendment
• a ballot fee, which is protected under the 24th
  Amendment
• a poll tax, which is protected under the 24th
  Amendment

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Question 8

• Amendments 12, 20, 22, and 25 primarily address
• Limits on presidential power
• Mode of election of the President
• Removal of the President
• Presidential succession

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Question 9

• Which role would you rather have?
• Rank and file House member co-sponsoring
  impeachment articles
• Speaker of the House, presenting articles of
  impeachment to the Senate
• Senator from the Presidents party in an
  impeachment trial
• Vice-president of the United States during an
  impeachment trial of the President
• The President during an impeachment trial