WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race Sunday shook the entire political world including his supporters and critics.
Whoever takes over the role of Democratic nominee has a key decision to make in choosing a vice-presidential candidate. One name who has come up as a choice is former President Barack Obama.
Here’s what the Constitution of the United States says regarding Barack Obama possibly serving as vice president. The 22nd Amendment of the US constitution says that, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Doubt arises over the restriction of the 22nd Amendment causes a twice-elected former president to be Constitutionally ineligible.
The 12th Amendment says that, “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States”.
Michael Dorf, a law professor at Cornell University, argued in a column for CNN that a theoretical ticket of Al Gore and Bill Clinton was constitutionally allowed. “Bill Clinton can serve as VP, because the 22nd Amendment’s prohibition on running for a third presidential term is not a condition of the office of president,” Dorf stated.
However, not all constitutional scholars agree as Gary Nordlinger, at The George Washington University, told CBS in 2016 that a twice-elected former president is ineligible. 22nd Amendment bars Obama from running as president of the United States.
President Biden’s decision provided the chance for some many in the US to brush up on the Constitution, especially the 22nd Amendment.
The 22nd Amendment was approved in 1951 in response to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s extraordinary four-term presidency, which raised concerns regarding the potential for excessive executive power. This provision ensures that if someone has served two terms as president of the US, they are constitutionally prohibited from seeking the presidency again, even after a pause.
