The Constitutional Question of Presidential Inability

The podcast discusses the critical constitutional question regarding what happens when a U.S. president becomes incapable of fulfilling their duties. Specifically, it highlights the ambiguous language in Article 2, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution, which states that the vice president assumes the role in the case of the president's removal, but lacks detail about how this should occur. John Feerick, a law professor, had early recognition of this issue and began to raise questions like, who determines when a president can no longer serve, what happens next, and whether the transfer of power is temporary or permanent. At the time, such concerns were not widely considered important, but Feerick’s research into the issue laid the groundwork for significant constitutional discourse.