Blog 3.2: 25th Amendment

1.  If the vice president and majority of the cabinet decide the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, what step do they take first?

They must put their concerns into writing and send it to the speaker of the House and the Senate's president pro tem.

2. How many people does it take to make the vice president the acting president?

9: one VP and any 8 Cabinet members. 

3. What happens if the president disagrees with the VP & cabinet?

It would be up to Congress to settle the matter with a vote: 2/3 majority in both houses is necessary to keep the VP in charge. 

4. What event led to the passage of the 25th Amendment?

JFK's assassination

5. Prior to the 25th Amendment, what happened if the VP office was vacant?

The President nominates someone and both Houses of Congress take a vote. 

6. Which part of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment is still vague, or open to interpretation?

There is no elaboration on what it would mean for the president to be "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."

7. Why is this unlikely to allow a coup to overthrow the president?

There is no precedent for a coup occurring. Since the Cabinet and VP (people closest to the president) are in charge of the process, it is unlikely they would kick the president out of power.

Blog 3.1: What's up with POTUS lately?

1. Why did the Trump administration decide to end the Voter Fraud Commission?

Many states refused to provide information relevant to the commission's investigation of election integrity, so the White House said that ending the VFC was better than going to legal battles. 

2. What claims had Trump made about voter fraud?

He claimed that there is substantial evidence of voter fraud and the "millions" of illegal voters cost him the popular vote. 

3. What rate of voter fraud was found by a Loyola Law School study?

Out of 800 million ballots over a 15-year period, only 35 were credible fraud accusations. 

4. What rate of voter fraud did the North Carolina Board of Elections find?

(North Carolina has some of the strictest voter laws in the country)

One out of 4.8 million votes

5. What information does Trump base his claims on?

They cited a 2012 report from the Pew Center on the States

6. Why do Republicans continue to emphasize the danger of voter fraud?

They say they are trying to cut down on voter fraud, but a lot is them trying to limit minorities from voting, thereby attempting to prevent a Democratic win. 

7.  How has Attorney General Jeff Sessions changed federal marijuana law enforcement?

He rescinded Obama's encouragements that allowed states to legalize marijuana with minimal federal interference. Federal prosecutors can use their own discretion to crack down on the weed business. 

8. How did the Obama administration treat this issue?

They were softies: the states were allowed to legalize the drug as long as they met certain criteria. 

9. What did the "Cole memo" say?

As long as states followed rules (such as preventing pot into the hands of children/involved in state-to-state transactions), the feds wouldn't crack down. 

10. What impact could these changes have on states that have legalized marijuana?

Since marijuana is illegal at the federal level, federal prosecutors can now go after state-legal marijuana. It could cost jobs and tax revenue and hurt legalization efforts. 

11. How can Congress change the impact of this enforcement?

Congress could legalize marijuana federally and leave the rest to the states. It could also limit federal enforcement. 

12. Why might Sessions's actions provoke a backlash from Republicans?

His policy lets feds go against the will of the voters. Marijuana legalization is popular at the national level and is even supported by a majority of Republicans.