Home MA-Grade.8 Civics - Q2

Explain the difference between the 20th and 25th Amendments.

While both amendments are designed to equip the government with procedures to handle extraordinary circumstances, their respective purposes are much different. The 20th Amendment states that the vice president-elect is to replace the president-elect in the event that he or she is incapable of assuming the office. The 25th Amendment, on the other hand, explicitly outlines what is to occur in the event the presidency or vice presidency is vacant. The difference, clearly, is that the 20th Amendment is narrowly tailored to replace a president-elect prior to assuming office.

Which of the following is not true about the 25th Amendment?

B. It provides a means of removing certain legislators from the House and the Senate.

Which of the following BEST summarizes Section 1 of the 25th Amendment?

C. If the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office by impeachment, the vice president assumes the office of president.

Which of the following accurately explains how Section 4 of the 25th Amendment could be applied to remove the president from office?

C. The vice president or members of the cabinet must submit a letter to Congress explaining why the president is unfit for office.

In which of the following scenarios would Section 4 of the 25th Amendment most likely be utilized?

D. Having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease after the election, President X is rapidly losing his memory and suffering from paranoia, making it difficult to perform his duties.

Explain why the 25th Amendment was needed and ultimately proved to be important.

Prior to the 25th Amendment, the office of the vice president was left vacant 18 times. Once a vice president left office, it remained vacant until the next presidential election because there were no procedures in place to name a new vice president. Constitutionally, the vice president has few responsibilities other than ceremonial duties, but modern presidents often rely heavily on their vice presidents. The absence of a vice president can be quite burdensome on a president. The importance of the 25th Amendment was illustrated shortly after its ratification with the scandals surrounding Vice President Agnew and President Nixon. Amid the scandals, there were no questions about the procedures to follow in the event of Agnew or Nixon's resignations.

Describe circumstances under which the 25th Amendment was twice enacted during the Nixon Administration.

The first use of the 25th Amendment was to replace Vice President Agnew following his resignation. Section 2 of the Amendment explicitly outlines the procedure to follow in the case of a vacancy in the office of the vice president: President Nixon had to appoint a new vice president who would be confirmed by a majority vote in both houses of Congress. The second, more infamous application of the 25th Amendment was to replace President Nixon following his resignation amid the Watergate Scandal. Section 1 of the Amendment states that the vice president assumes the office of the president in the case of resignation, thus Vice President Ford assumed the presidency. President Ford then had to appoint a vice president (Rockefeller) to fill the vacancy left by him.

Explain why the roles and responsibilities of the vice president may change from administration to administration.

The vice president is as important as the president chooses. The vice president has almost no political power unless the president asks for advice about party policy and political appointments. Even the vice president's role as a cabinet member depends on the wishes of the president. But with the active support of the president, the vice president can exert a tremendous amount of influence. It is important to note, therefore, that because the president decides the level of responsibility held by the vice president, it may very well change from administration to administration, as different presidents may have different preferences.

Hypothetical: President Obama is diagnosed with schizophrenia, a debilitating mental disorder that disrupts the process of thinking and perception of reality. Vice President Biden and the President's cabinet are in unanimous agreement that President Obama is unfit for duty as the President of the United States. Describe the process by which the Vice President and cabinet may remove the President from office.

Vice President Biden and the cabinet would submit a joint letter to Congress stating that the President is unfit for duty, and at that point, Vice President Biden would assume the presidency. If President Obama were to challenge the motion, he would submit a letter to Congress on his own behalf stating that he is indeed fit for duty. Vice President Biden would have four days to submit yet another letter explaining that the President is not fit for duty. At this point it would be up to Congress to decide whether the President should remain in office.