Presidential Succession Act

E421
United States federal statute succession law

The Presidential Succession Act is a U.S. federal law that establishes the order in which federal officials assume the powers and duties of the presidency if the president and other higher-ranking successors are unable to serve.

Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form Occurrences
United States presidential line of succession 3
Presidential Succession Act of 1947 2
United States presidential line of succession (indirectly through Cabinet-level leadership hierarchy, though not a Cabinet officer) 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute ⓘ
succession law ⓘ
appliesToOffice President of the United States ⓘ
Vice President of the United States ⓘ
basedOn Article II of the United States Constitution ⓘ
Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ
Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ
codifiedIn Title 3 of the United States Code ⓘ
codifiedSection 3 U.S.C. § 19 ⓘ
condition applies when both the president and vice president are unable to serve ⓘ
applies when the office of president is vacant ⓘ
applies when the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office ⓘ
country United States of America ⓘ
currentFrameworkEstablishedIn 1947 ⓘ
dateSigned July 18, 1947 ⓘ
definesSuccessionPosition President pro tempore of the United States Senate ⓘ
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives ⓘ
United States Attorney General ⓘ
United States Secretary of Agriculture ⓘ
Secretary of Commerce of the United States ⓘ
surface form: United States Secretary of Commerce

United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
United States Secretary of Education ⓘ
United States Secretary of Energy ⓘ
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services ⓘ
United States Secretary of Homeland Security ⓘ
United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ⓘ
United States Secretary of Labor ⓘ
United States Secretary of State ⓘ
United States Secretary of Transportation ⓘ
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs ⓘ
United States Secretary of the Interior ⓘ
Secretary of the Treasury ⓘ
surface form: United States Secretary of the Treasury

Vice President of the United States ⓘ
enactedBy United States Congress ⓘ
governs assumption of presidential powers and duties ⓘ
order of succession to the presidency ⓘ
legalDomain constitutional law ⓘ
federal law of the United States ⓘ
mechanism provides for acting president when higher officials are unavailable ⓘ
purpose to establish the line of presidential succession ⓘ
to provide for continuity of the executive branch ⓘ
relatedTo Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ
Presidential Succession Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: United States presidential line of succession
requiresCondition successor must meet constitutional requirements for the presidency ⓘ
successor must not be under impeachment by the House of Representatives ⓘ
signedBy President Harry S. Truman ⓘ
surface form: Harry S. Truman
significantVersionYear 1792 ⓘ
1886 ⓘ
1947 ⓘ
subjectOfDebate constitutionality of legislative officers in the succession line ⓘ
inclusion of congressional leaders in the line of succession ⓘ

Referenced by (9)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Truman administration domestic policy → hasPart → Presidential Succession Act ⓘ
this entity surface form: Presidential Succession Act of 1947
Deputy Secretary of Transportation → includedIn → Presidential Succession Act ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States presidential line of succession (indirectly through Cabinet-level leadership hierarchy, though not a Cabinet officer)
this entity surface form: United States presidential line of succession
this entity surface form: Presidential Succession Act of 1947
2024 United States presidential election → relatedTo → Presidential Succession Act ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States presidential line of succession
Presidential Succession Act → relatedTo → Presidential Succession Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States presidential line of succession
Title 3 of the United States Code → relatedTo → Presidential Succession Act ⓘ
Presidency of the United States → successionDefinedBy → Presidential Succession Act ⓘ
President of the United States → successionDefinedBy → Presidential Succession Act ⓘ