Questions tagged [president]
For questions regarding heads of state with the title "President." Should be used with a jurisdiction tag to indicate which country the question is about.
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What if someone serving time in a state prison gets elected president?
What if someone serving time in a state prison gets elected president?
Would it be legal for the state to continue to incarcerate a US president?
Can he order himself to be released (for example, on ...
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Can the Secret Service arrest someone who uses an illegal drug inside of the White House?
In light of the recent discovery of cocaine inside the West Wing of the White House, I am wondering if a person who either lives in, or works in, or makes a visit to the White House, is caught using ...
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Could they subpoena Mike Pence to testify whether he knew that Trump had taken classified documents out of the White House?
In regards to the trial that will take place in the future regarding the issue of former U.S. President Donald Trump mishandling classified documents, I was just wondering if former Vice President ...
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Can a U.S. President's doctor refuse to answer medical-related questions asked by a Congressional committee?
Say that in the event that the 25th Amendment was to be invoked due to the suspicion that the U.S. President was no longer physically and/or mentally capable of performing his/her Presidential duties, ...
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Were people born in the Confederacy eligible to run for president?
Since the Confederacy existed for about four years, presumably some number of babies were born there during that time. Technically, those people were not born in the United States.
When those people ...
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What laws, if any, were violated and what are the theoretical penalties for breaking them associated with Trumps failure to disclose the 19.8 m loan?
Trump having a foreign loan for 19.8m that wasn't disclosed is sort of big news now. However, the news doesn't say much about the legal implications, many imply he violated a requirement to disclose ...
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If Kayne West/Ye ran for President, would he be listed on ballots as Kayne West or Ye?
It looks like Kayne West is considering running for President. If he runs in 2024 and is included on ballots, will he be listed as "Ye" or "Kayne West"?
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Would a Trump-nominated Supreme Court justice be expected to recuse themselves from a Trump case?
As of Oct 21, 2022, the January 6 Committee has issued a subpoena to former president Trump, setting up the potential for a case against Trump to end up in front of the Supreme Court. I spent awhile ...
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Does the President really have the absolute right to declassify anything he wants to?
The claim has been made by Donald Trump and many others that the sitting President has the absolute right to declassify any documents he wishes. Leaving aside the issue of what procedure he would have ...
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Is there a particular circumstance where the U.S. president can be tried for declaring war against another country?
Is there a particular circumstance where the U.S. president can be tried for declaring war against another country? What are the criteria for the president to be tried for declaring war? Is there even ...
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Can the impeachment of the Indian president be judicially reviewed, or is it a violation of Article 122?
We know that impeachment of a president is quasi-judicial but does it mean that there can't be any judicial review. Is it a violation of Article 122?
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Can a former United States president be criminally prosecuted for acts committed when he was president?
Just after voting to acquit Trump, GOP senate leader Mitch McConnel said:
We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being ...
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If Trump can be impeached after leaving office, why couldn't Nixon?
I know that this was essentially already asked here, but the responses to that question only seem to say "You can't be impeached after leaving office," and we now know that that is ...
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Do US presidential pardons include the cancellation of financial punishments?
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/20/anthony-levandowski-pardoned-after-stealing-trade-secrets-from-google.html says:
Anthony Levandowski pardoned after stealing trade secrets from Google
In August, ...
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How is it legal for the US President's name to appear on aid checks?
Apparently, (soon-former) US President Donald Trump's name appeared on the stimulus checks sent out last year.
I guess this is a late question to ask, but - how can this be legal? It makes it appears ...
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Does Trump's pardon of the Blackwater mercenaries violate international law?
President Trump recently pardoned Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, four Blackwater mercenaries convicted in 2014 of killing civilians in Iraq back in 2007.
The United ...
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POTUS term limit (hypothetical)
It is frequently said that the current term limit for a US President is 10 years, consisting of inheriting the presidency for a 2 year caretaker term, then elected twice for 8 years, not necessarily ...
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Is recent diplomatic service abroad an impediment to becoming president of the United States?
Here is Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution of the United States:
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this ...
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Could Trump "trash" the White House?
Assume Trump willingly leaves the White House on January 20th, but acts like a bad tenant being evicted, and decides to destroy existing paintings, busts, etc. Would he be legally allowed to do this ...
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How would originalists vs living-constitutionalists assess the constitutionality of electing a female President of the United States?
This question regards the USA and its federal constitution.
Article II, Section I of the US Federal Constitution says that:
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United
States of ...
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Can a person who has been pardoned still be held liable for the same offense in a civil court?
This answer indicates that accepting, for example, a presidential pardon, is considered an admission of guilt.
If a person were to accept such a pardon, can they then still be held liable in a civil ...
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Can the President of the United States pardon proactively?
President Trump's administration has just formally started the transition process. He is now officially a lame-duck President. It is common for outgoing Presidents to grant pardons in this last phase ...
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What happens if the cabinet does not want to trigger the 25th amendment even though the President is in a coma?
This is a hypothetical. Let's say Trump's cabinet has not resigned yet. Joe Biden is sworn in and, overwhelmed by the emotions, he has a stroke and can't move or speak, or he is in a coma, but he is ...
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Can Biden force the presidential transition to start?
A number of news sources have reported that Emily Murphy of the General Services Administration has failed to sign the document that triggers the presidential transition process.
Can the Biden team ...
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What can the president legally alone do to regulate (prior and during) the presidential election?
Given that the elections are covered by state law and administered by the local governments. I think legally there is very little (with express support of Congress) that can be done except seek the ...
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Who has the final say in the choice of the electors?
In case of disputes related to the presidential election, who has the final say in the choice of the electors: state legislature, SCOTUS or the state's supreme court?
It's my understanding that the US ...
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Sworn statement from Chief of Staff on President's intent:isn't that hearsay?
Trump made two tweets (here and here) which (on a surface reading) would seem to be him ordering the complete declassification of all documents related to the Russian investigation. In response, ...
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Could the 14th amendment, section 3, keep Trump from holding office for a second term?
It seems widely agreed upon that even if a President breaks a law, he can only be removed from office through the impeachment process.
However, could an incumbent president who wins a second term be ...
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Can any lawsuit be filed by a sitting US president at the state level? [closed]
For the sake of argument, let's say that in the 2020 elections Trump lost these 19 "Much more republican" states (according to this NY Times article) that he had easily won in 2016:
...
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Trump knowingly let thousands of people die from Corona; was that criminal? If yes, could he be charged (now or after his Presidency)?
The title says it all.
Trump told Bob Woodward that he knew in February that the coronavirus was deadly but decided to actively and consciously deceive the public and not take decisive action to ...
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Can the Speaker of the House expel senators from the Hall of the House before all electoral votes have been counted?
A recent article in The Atlantic 1 goes through some rather dire hypothetical scenarios in which constitutional crises arise during the upcoming Presidential elections.
One of their scenarios ...
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Could Trump be charged with a criminal offense for his actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Recently Carl Bernstein called Donald Trump a "homicidal President":
We are witnessing a homicidal president convening ― purposefully ― a homicidal assembly to help him get re-elected as ...
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What part of the U.S. code requires Donald Trump to vacate the White House if he loses in November?
President Trump has made some... remarkable and entertaining... remarks about his willingness to leave the White House if he should loose the POTUS election in November. This got me thinking. I'm not ...
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Who becomes President if no candidate for President or for Vice-President has been selected at noon, January 20th?
The Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution , Article 3, deals with the situation where no President or Vice President has qualified on January 20.
Section 3
If, at the time fixed for the beginning ...
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Can POTUS make FDA approve a drug (such as hydroxychloroquine), or make it available over the counter?
President Trump is known to have taken hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a prophylactic against COVID-19.
Some prominent medical scientists also came out in support of HCQ for outpatients (as opposed to ...
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If the US Supreme Court were to hold a US President in contempt, what could happen next? [closed]
What happens if the President defies a Supreme Court decision? Can he be found to be in contempt? What happens then? What enforcement actions can be taken, and who can take them?
I am asking because ...
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If the President's power to grant pardons is absolute, could he face any consequences?
Does the Presidential power to pardon include the power to avoid any consequences?
Consider this hypothetical situation:
An extremely rich individual (a US citizen) gets involved in a sordid love ...
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Can Trump become the 46th president [closed]
Donald Trump is currently the 45th president of the United States. If he is re-elected in November his "number" will not change. If he loses, runs again in 2024 and wins that election, he ...
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What are the implications of the new executive order regarding social media?
As I understand it, Trump is planning to issue an executive order that claims some social media platforms are violating the Communication Decency Act Section 230 by not acting in good faith, and as a ...
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Can Michigan's attorney general take legal action against Trump for not wearing a mask?
I read from a CNBC news article how Michigan’s attorney general said Trump has a “legal responsibility,” under state law, to wear a mask as a precaution when visiting factories. Trump refuses to wear ...
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Can the Defense Production Act grant immunity to civil liability?
Trump has said that he's going to give liability protections to meat processing plants in case employees catch COVID-19 at work. The executive order itself is here. Cited in the order is the Defense ...
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Can the US President and Senate redefine the calendar year to extend the presidential term?
I was recently watching a video about what would happen if the US president tried to cancel or postpone the election. From what I gather, the 20th amendment ensures that his term will end on January ...
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Is There A Loophole to Term Limits Through VP Succession?
Suppose Fred is a popular politician, and Fred's Party wants him to be president for more than two terms. Why couldn't Fred's Party do the following?
Party nominates (Random Stooge) as their ...
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What ever happened to the Nixon Pocket veto case?
What ever happened to the Nixon Pocket veto case? This is the case where members of congress sued over President Nixon's recess veto of a spending bill.
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Can the President of the United States legally discredit or promote mass media organizations?
Whereas freedom of the press and freedom of speech are both inalienable rights in our country, the same might not be said of every citizen--particularly members of the military per 10 U.S. Code § 888:
...
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In the show "Designated Survivor," all Congressman but 1 are killed, and the President desperately wants to nominate a new Congress. Why?
Why is it so important to the excecutive branch that there is a full Congress? Can action not be taken by the sole remaining Congressman, or is the problem that this Congressman would have way too ...
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Can a U.S. President undo an act of clemency or a pardon of his predecessor?
Can the next U.S. President undo the current President's pardons?
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Does impeachment conviction necessarily imply removal from office?
The relevant bits of Article 1 Section 3 state that:
Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of ...
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Which powers can the President delegate to other officers or employees of the Executive Branch?
The President is the head of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. As the head of the branch a lot of things are formally done by the President, but in actuality many tasks are ...
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Can the US Senate disqualify a former President?
In summary, the answer to "Can a US President, after impeachment and removal, be re-elected or re-appointed?" was "Yes, unless the Senate votes by simple majority to add the penalty of ...
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