What is the law of presidential succession?

Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. …

What is the succession order of the United States president?

Acting President of the United States. The succession order is as follows: Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, President pro tempore of the Senate, and then the eligible heads of federal executive departments who form the president’s Cabinet, beginning with the Secretary of State .

What is the role of the vice president as a successor?

The vice president is the only officeholder named in the Constitution as a presidential successor. The Article II succession clause authorizes Congress to designate which federal officeholders would accede to the presidency in the event that the vice president were unable to do so, a situation which has never occurred.

Who was next in line to be president after Johnson?

Had Johnson left office during that time, House Speaker John W. McCormack of Massachusetts would have been next in line to take his place as president. After Johnson won the 1964 election, his running mate, Hubert H. Humphrey, became vice president. A few years later, in Feb. 1967, the 25th amendment was ratified.

What happens if the vice president is unable to become president?

If the vice president was unable or ineligible to ascend to the presidency (or if the office was vacant) the speaker of the House would be next in line under terms of the Presidential Succession Act, which was first passed in 1947. However, when the vice president becomes president, the speaker does not move into the office of vice president.