• Constitution
– Article II, Section 1, paragraph 6 (as amended)
• 20th Amendment
– If president dies before taking office, VP takes over as president
• 25th Amendment
– VP to become pres if…
• Pres dead, resignation
• Pres incapable of serving

• Federal Laws
– Presidential Succession Act of
1792 (Pres Pro Temp, then
Speaker, then Cabinet member)
– Presidential Succession Act of
1947 (Flip flopped Speaker &
Pres pro temp)
– Never an acting officer; only appointed & confirmed by US senate (& qualified to be president)
– Serve as pres until disability removed or new Pres elected

• Vice President Joe Biden
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• President Pro Tempore
Robert Byrd
• Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton
• Secretary of the Treasury
Tim Geithner
• Secretary of Defense
Robert Gates
• Attorney General Eric
Holder

• Secretary of Interior Ken
Salazar
• Secretary of Agriculture Tom
Vilsack
• Secretary of Commerce Gary
Locke
• Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
• Secretary of Health and
Human Services Kathleen
Sebelius
• Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development Shaun
Donovan

• Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood
• Secretary of Energy
Stephen Chu
• Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan
• Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric Shinseki
• Secretary of Homeland
Security Janet Napolitano

• President and all successors are never in the same place at the same time
• One eligible successor, one house member from each party, and one senator from each party are randomly selected and are held separate and apart from all others
• Purpose: to assure succession of government in event of death of everyone

• Partisan difference between Executive,
Legislative branch leadership
• President pro temp is OLD!
• One DC nuke away from killing all successors
• Swine flu / viral / biological attack could cause mass vacancies in DC