Episode 7: Succession Inquisition

February 24, 2021

How America screwed up Presidential succession, then fixed it (sort of), then screwed it up again.  And how to fix it, Amar style, of course.

How does Akhil dislike the Presidential Succession Act?  Andy tries to count the ways.  This Constitutional disaster-in-waiting is definitively dissected.  We could have had President Pelosi being sued by would-be President Pompeo, with your 401k turning into a 201F. Show notes on the website include the three incarnations of the Act since the Founding, and some tips on counting from the experts.

Show Notes:

Presidential Succession Act of 1947

Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (the current law); July 18, 1947

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Presidential Succession Act of 1886

Presidential Succession Act of 1886.  This is the “pretty good” one. January 19, 1886.

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Presidential Succession Act of 1792

Presidential Succession Act of 1792.  The original but not the greatest.  March 1, 1792.

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Definition of Ex-Officio

Professor Amar references the term “ex-officio” on numerous occasions during the podcast.  Here’s an explanation of the term, in case you forgot.

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Trying to keep track of all the screw-ups in the Presidential Succession Act proves too much for Andy and Akhil.  They seem to have learned their counting skills from these intrepid mathematicians of the past: