What Almost Nobody Knows About the Presidency
November 17,2012

Did you know that...

-Even after a President has signed a bill into law or has had his veto overridden, he may sometimes properly refuse to enforce that law?

-Presidents do not need to have been born in the United States?

-For most of American history, Presidents enforced the Constitution far more vigorously, and with far more important consequences, than did the Supreme Court?

-Only three Presidents in American history have been residents of small states when elected?

-The Speaker of the House is not constitutionally next in the line of succession after the Vice President?

-If a challenger beats an incumbent President in November, there is an easy way for the challenger to take over almost immediately—within hours, if the election results are clear—rather than waiting until January 20 of the next year?

-For the first century of presidential practice, the best predictor of whether an incumbent President would keep seeking re-election until he lost or would instead walk away from power was whether he had a son?

-When a President is deciding whether to sign or veto a bill, he ordinarily has ten days to do so, but Sundays don’t count.

-Only three Democrats since Lincoln have won 51% or more of the popular vote?

-Obama won every state within a five-hour drive of Chicago, but lost two states only minutes further away?


Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law at both Yale College and Yale Law School. He received his B.A, summa cum laude from Yale College, and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as an editor of The Yale Law Journal. After clerking for Judge Stephen Breyer, U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit, Professor Amar joined the Yale faculty in 1985. Professor Amar is also the author of several books, including his most recent bestseller, America’s Constitution: A Biography (Random House). The Supreme Court has cited his work in over 20 cases, and he was a consultant to the television show, The West Wing. In 2008, two different presidential candidates mentioned Professor Amar as a possible Supreme Court choice.

Philadelphia - National Constitution Center
525 Arch Street
Philadelphia , Pa 19106
November 17,2012
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM