While this four-month, lame duck period was problematic enough in the office of the president, it was arguably worse for members of Congress. This is due to the fact that, since a lame duck has nothing to worry about because his term is almost up and his replacement has already been chosen, he can effectively make whatever decisions he wants and suffer little to no consequence.įor instance, a lame duck could issue a controversial pardon, or sign an executive order without fear of repercussion. Problems often arise when a lame duck is in office. A lame duck is an elected official who has only a short time left in office, and whose successor has already been selected. During that time, no work could be done, and the acting president effectively became a lame duck. This meant that there was a long, four-month period between the election of a new president and that president’s inauguration. This was soon discovered to be an issue, however, when the new Congress and presidential administration did not begin in their official capacities until April. In September of 1788, after the final nine states had ratified the Constitution, Congress set the date of March 4 as the date when newly elected officials would begin their terms of office. ![]() The history of the 20th Amendment is based on a simple concept, which was to maximize efficiency. The individual whom Congress chooses to act as president or vice president is to do so until the next true president or vice president is elected. In that case, Congress can then choose the president after providing legitimate reasons as to why neither the president elect nor the vice president elect is, in its opinion, suitable for the job. Similarly, if a president is not chosen before the term is to begin, or if the president elect is deemed unfit to serve as president, then the vice president is to act as president until a qualified president is chosen. If, by chance, the president elect dies before he can begin his term, then the 20th Amendment provides for the vice president elect to become president. ![]() The only way this can be changed is if a law is passed allowing them to hold Congress on a different day. ![]() The 20th Amendment also provides that Congress is to assemble at least once a year and that, when members do assemble, they do so at 12:00 p.m. on January 3 during the year in which their terms end. The same goes for members of Congress, whose terms end at 12:00 p.m. “The terms of the President and the 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.”
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