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Articles on 25th Amendment

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After President Trump incited violence on Jan. 6, some high-ranking officials say he is unfit to lead the United States. Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)

How does the 25th Amendment work, and can it be used to remove Trump from office after US Capitol attack?

Vice President Pence could invoke the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution, also known as the Disability Clause, if he believes Trump is ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.’
President Donald Trump walks off Marine One at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on October 2, 2020 as White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows watches. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis: What lies ahead could include a constitutional crisis over succession

A president may transfer power to the vice president if they are no longer capable of carrying out their official role. But there are many unanswered questions about this rarely used process.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in mid-March, before he tested positive for the coronavirus. Ray Tang/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

With Boris Johnson in intensive care, who runs the UK?

The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution or a specific plan for what to do if the prime minister is too ill to perform official duties.
U.S. President Donald Trump. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

The 25th Amendment wouldn’t work to dump Trump

Those who want President Trump out of office should forget about the 25th Amendment; it won’t work as they hope or believe. The amendment is a complex law that – by design – is very hard to use.
Richard Nixon flashes the victory sign on the night he received the Republican nomination for president Aug. 9, 1968 in Miami. AP File/AP Photo

Why it’s hard to remove, or even diagnose, mentally ill or unstable presidents

Some cite mental illness, or at least instability, as a basis to remove Pres. Trump from office. A doctor and a lawyer use a 1965 novel, ‘Night of Camp David,’ to explain why that’s unlikely.
What are the ethics of anonymous resistance? Vincent Diamante

Why the anonymous op-ed sets a dangerous precedent

An expert argues why the anonymous op-ed in The New York Times can hardly be considered an act of civil disobedience and why it might make things even worse in the Trump administration.
Rob Rosenstein suggested invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power in Spring 2017, according to the New York Times. Reuters/Leah Millis

What the 25th Amendment says about presidents who are ‘unable’ to serve

The US Constitution allows the president to be removed from power if his vice president and Cabinet decide that he cannot discharge the duties of his office.

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