A 25th Amendment reading list - Prof. Garrett Epps
Prof. Garrett Epps has developed a 25th Amendment reading list. Prominent is the work of my Fordham colleague and former Dean John Feerick.
A lot of people are discussing the XXV Amendment with what seems to me to be only a foggy sense of what is actually in it. If you are curious about the meaning and history of the Amendment, then this list is for you:
25th Amendment Reading list
Night of Camp David
Fletcher Knebel
Begin with this book because 1) it tells the story of a president who wants to take over Canada and parts of Scandinavia at which point everybody realizes he is insane; 2) it shows the scary state of play just before the passage of the XXV Amendment; 3) it lets you test whether the Amendment has improved the ability to handle the “crazy President” problem; 4) it’s fun.
Birch Bayh, One Heartbeat Away: Presidential Disability and Succession (Bobbs-Merrill, 1968). The sponsor of the Amendment tells the story from his point of view.
John Feerick, From Failing Hands: The Story of Presidential Succession (Fordham University Press, 1965). A look at the history of the problem by the man who is most responsible for the drafting and adoption of the XXV Amendment
___________, The Twenty-Fifth Amendment: Its Complete History and Applications (2nd ed.). An account of the drafting of the Amendment and what it means to a “crazy President” situation. https://www.amazon.com/.../082321.../ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0...
Brian C. Kalt, Constitutional Cliffhangers: A Legal Guide for Presidents and Their Enemies (Yale University Press, 2012). A wonderful book by a fine scholar who spent a lot of time looking at the Constitution and asking “What could go wrong?” (Answer: a lot). https://yalebooks.yale.edu/.../constitutional-cliffhangers/
____, Unable: The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment
A very short and clear explanation of why the Amendment is not a very good protection against the “crazy president” problem.
