Wednesday, January 21, 2009

I was wrong

I was telling people yesterday that Obama became President precisely at noon yesterday by statutory law. I was wrong. Someone in another forum pointed out that this is actually mandated by the 20th amendment which states that "The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin."

So, Obama became President by CONSTITUTIONAL law at noon yesterday. The oath is a formality that is arguably reduced to a ceremonial event by the 20th amendment.

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