The Twenty-Fifth Amendment: Its Complete History and Applications

by John D. Feerick

This book focuses on the Twenty-Fifth Amendment - its meaning, legislative history, and applications. The Amendment has been criticized for being vague and undemocratic. It has been praised for making possible swift and orderly successions to the presidency and vice presidency upon the occurrence of some of the most extraordinary events in American history. Its vice presidential selection feature has been recommended as the best method for selecting all Vice Presidents. The repeal of that feature and the abolition of the vice presidency have also been suggested. Moreover, throughout the Watergate crisis the Amendment was alluded to as affording a means by which a President could transfer Presidential power during an impeachment proceeding, and it was suggested as authorizing a Vice President and Cabinet to suspend, so to speak, a President during the period of impeachment trial before the Senate. Judging by all the attention the Amendment has received and by the number of presidential and vice presidential vacancies and illnesses which have occurred in our history, one can expect that the Twenty-Fifth Amendment will receive frequent application in the future of our country.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Historical, Law

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very thorough exposition of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, which is the Amendment that deals with issues related to presidential succession and disability. It clarifies that the vice president becomes president (as opposed to acting president) if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office; and establishes procedures for filling a vacancy in the office of the vice president and for responding to presidential disabilities. I very much enjoyed reading this book, which is now in its third edition.

On October 2nd, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a severe debilitating stroke; only his wife, doctor, and private secretary had access to the President, and until the end of his presidential term in 1920 the country essentially did not have a President. The need for some sort of amendment regarding presidential succession and disability was thrown into sharp relief by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (it is possible that the assassin's bullet could have, instead of killing the President, left him alive but incapacitated to a major degree). Congress debated the issue, and the states ratified the Twenty-Fifth Amendment in 1967. In less than ten years the country was faced with first, the resignation of a vice-president and second, with the resignation of the president; the Twenty-Fifth Amendment provided a template for the country to follow during this constitutional crisis.

This book will tell the reader just about anything needful to know about the Amendment; why it was deemed necessary, how it was crafted in Congress, and the times that various parts of it have been put into effect (i.e., when Presidents are going under anesthesia for medical procedures). I found most illuminating a comment about the Senate and House hearings: "At various times in the debates and hearings of 1964 and 1965, it was made clear that unpopularity, incompetence, impeachable conduct, poor judgement, and laziness do not constitute an "inability" without the meaning of the Amendment." And I very much enjoyed reading this book.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an in-depth and very complete look at the 25th Amendment on Presidential and Vice Presidential succession. The author was one of the primary forces behind the Amendment and worked closely with Senator Birch Bayh to get it passed. The book covers Presidential vacancies before and after the Amendment and explores its various uses (and non-uses), as well as its reference in popular culture. I picked this book up given the current discussions involving a "Section 4" removal of the President by the VP and a majority of the cabinet. Although the latest edition of the book was issued prior to the election of Donald Trump, it is still highly relevant.

[Joel Ready · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a strong review of the legislative background, important to understanding some of the latent ambiguities to the amendment. At times, the writing doesn't flow well and the book occasionally gets bogged down in opinions of the author that don't shed light on the amendment. Overall, worth the read for scholars or those interested in the 25th Amendment from a technical perspective.

[Bill Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent explanation of the subject.

[Lawrence Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relevant read for 2018 in the fact that the 25th isnt lithe magic pill some would lead you to believe. For a book about constitutional law and history it's a relative easy read but well explained. It does seem repetitive at times.