president powers

1. Executive Branch

2. Duties of the President
• The constitution grants the president:
– power as commander in chief of the armed
forces,
– the authority to appoint—with Senate’s
consent—heads of executive departments,
federal court judges, and other top officials,
– the duty to ensure that all the laws of the
United States are faithfully executed, and
– lawmaking power.

3. Presidential Qualifications
• Article II, Section 1 defines the formal
requirements for the presidency:
– a natural-born citizen of the United States
– at least 35 years old
– a resident of the United States for at least
14 years
• The same requirements apply to the vice
president.

4. Presidential Succession
• After John F. Kennedy was assassinated in
1963, the nation realized that the
Constitution’s rules for presidential
succession were inadequate.
• In 1967, the Twenty-fifth Amendment was
ratified to clarify success to the presidency
and vice presidency.
Line of Presidential Succession

6. The Vice President’s Role
• The Constitution gives the vice president two
duties:
– The vice president presides over the
Senate and votes in that body in case of a
tie.
– Under the Twenty-fifth Amendment, the vice
president helps decide whether the
president is disabled and acts as president
should that happen.

7. The Vice President’s Role (cont.)
• Vice presidents today now often participate in
policy meetings, undertake special
assignments, and are members of the
National Security Council.