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PRESIDENTIAL INABILITY

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

EIGHTY-NINTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

H.R. 836; H.R. 3792; H.J. Res. 1, H.J. Res. 3, H.J. Res. 29, H.J. Res. 33, H.J. Res. 41, H.J. Res. 53, H.J. Res. 67, H.J. Res. 118, H.J. Res. 119, H.J. Res. 129, H.J. Res. 139, H.J. Res. 140, H.J. Res. 143, H.J. Res. 154, H.J. Res. 158, H.J. Res. 183, H.J. Res. 219, H.J. Res. 220, H.J. Res. 224, H.J. Res. 235, H.J. Res. 236, H.J. Res. 239, H.J. Res, 240, H.J. Res. 248, H.J. Res. 250, H.J. Res. 254, H.J. Res. 264, H.J. Res. 265, H.J. Res. 274, H.J. Res. 280, H.J. Res. 293, H.J. Res. 294, H.J. Res. 302, H.J. Res. 310, H.J. Res. 312, H.J. Res. 329.

MISCELLANEOUS PROPOSALS RELATING TO PRESIDENTIAL

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Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1965

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COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

EMANUEL CELLER, New York, Chairman

MICHAEL A. FEIGHAN, Ohio
FRANK CHELF, Kentucky
EDWIN E. WILLIS, Louisiana
PETER W. RODINO, JR., New Jersey
BYRON G. ROGERS, Colorado
HAROLD D. DONOHUE, Massachusetts
JACK B. BROOKS, Texas
WILLIAM M, TUCK, Virginia

ROBERT T. ASHMORE, South Carolina
JOHN DOWDY, Texas

BASIL L. WHITENER, North Carolina
HERMAN TOLL, Pennsylvania

ROBERT W. KASTENMEIER, Wisconsin
JACOB H. GILBERT, New York
JAMES C. CORMAN, California

WILLIAM L. ST. ONGE, Connecticut
GEORGE F. SENNER, JR., Arizona
DON EDWARDS, California
WILLIAM L. HUNGATE, Missouri
HERBERT TENZER, New York
JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan
GEORGE W. GRIDER, Tennessee
ANDREW JACOBS, JR., Indiana

WILLIAM M. MCCULLOCH, Ohio
RICHARD H. POFF, Virginia
WILLIAM C. CRAMER, Florida
ARCH A. MOORE, JR., West Virginia
JOHN V. LINDSAY, New York
WILLIAM T. CAHILL, New Jersey
CLARK MACGREGOR, Minnesota

CHARLES MCC. MATHIAS, JR., Maryland:
CARLETON J. KING, New York
EDWARD HUTCHINSON, Michigan.
ROBERT MCCLORY, Illinois

BESS E. DICK, Staff Director

WILLIAM R. FOLEY, General Counsel
GARNER J. CLINE, Counsel

MURRAY DRABKIN, Counsel

HERBERT FUCHS, Counsel

WILLIAM L. SHATTUCK, Counsel

BENJAMIN L. ZELENKO, Counsel

CHARLES J. ZINN, Law Revision Counsel WILLIAM H. COPENHAVER, Associate Counsel

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CONTENTS

TEXT OF BILLS

Page

House Joint Resolution 1 (Mr. Celler).

House Joint Resolution 3 (Mr. Poff).

House Joint Resolution 29 (Mr. Ashley).

House Joint Resolution 33 (Mr. Bennett).

House Joint Resolution 41 (Mr. Cohelan)

House Joint Resolution 53 (Mr. Gonzalez) -

House Joint Resolution 67 (Mr. Kunkel)

House Joint Resolution 118 (Mr. Holland)

House Joint Resolution 119 (Mr. McCulloch).

House Joint Resolution 129 (Mr. Curtin).

House Joint Resolution 139 (Mr. Lindsay)

House Joint Resolution 140 (Mr. Lindsay)

House Joint Resolution 143 (Mr. Shriver).

House Joint Resolution 154 (Mr. Fulton of Pennsylvania)
House Joint Resolution 158 (Mr. Monagan)
House Joint Resolution 183 (Mr. Halpern)
House Joint Resolution 219 (Mr. Moorhead).

House Joint Resolution 220 (Mr. Moorhead, by request).

House Joint Resolution 224 (Mr. Dent)

House Joint Resolution 235 (Mr. Fascell).
House Joint Resolution 236 (Mr. Love).
House Joint Resolution 239 (Mr. Schweiker).
House Joint Resolution 240 (Mr. Toll).
House Joint Resolution 248 (Mr. Stafford).
House Joint Resolution 250 (Mr. Fuqua).
House Joint Resolution 254 (Mr. Roush).
House Joint Resolution 264 (Mr. Mathias)
House Joint Resolution 265 (Mr. Randall).
House Joint Resolution 274 (Mr. Horton)-.

House Joint Resolution 280 (Mr. Edwards of California).
House Joint Resolution 293 (Mr. Robison).

House Joint Resolution 294 (Mr. Robison)

House Joint Resolution 302 (Mr. William D. Ford)_

House Joint Resolution 310 (Mr. Byrne of Pennsylvania).

House Joint Resolution 312 (Mr. Roybal)

House Joint Resolution 329 (Mr. McClory)-

STATEMENTS

Bennett, Hon. Charles E., U.S. Representative from Florida.

Brownell, Hon. Herbert, former Attorney General of the United
States, New York, N.Ý.

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Robison, Hon. Howard W., U.S. Representative from New York..

Taylor, Martin, Esq., chairman, Committee on Federal Constitution,
New York State Bar Association, New York, N.Y.......

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PRESIDENTIAL INABILITY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1965

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY,
Washington, D.C.

The committee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 346, Cannon Building, Hon. Emanuel Celler (chairman) presiding.

Present: Representatives Celler, Rodino, Rogers, Donohue, Brooks, Kastenmeier, Corman, McCulloch, Cramer, Lindsay, Mathias, and Hutchinson.

Also present: William H. Copenhaver, associate counsel; William R. Foley, general counsel.

The CHAIRMAN. The meeting will come to order.

The Chair will read an opening statement, followed by a statement to be read by our esteemed Representative from Ohio, Mr. McCulloch. (Opening statement, Chairman Emanuel Celler :)

Today, the full committee of the House Committee on the Judiciary initiates hearings on 32 proposals relating to the problem of presidential inability. We are confronted with one of the most difficult problems that has ever challenged a Congress. It is a problem which has existed since the adoption of the Constitution and on more than one occasion it has been a stark reality.

There is no doubt that this problem has many difficult facets-legal, political, and constitutional. A mere review of the congressional attempts to find a solution is adequate proof of the complexities and difficulties involved. Moreover, the history of the Presidency and the Vice-Presidency indicates the necessity for meeting this problem headon. Eight of our Presidents have died in office and on 16 different occasions the office of Vice President has been vacant. We are very fortunate that at no time have both offices been vacant simultaneously. It is interesting to note also that public interest in a solution to the problem of presidential inability reaches its peak when the situation arises, but subsides once the emergency has passed. The recent tragic death of President Kennedy has served to arouse public interest in the problem. We cannot permit this interest to languish into apathy again.

I, for one, have had a deep and probing interest in solving the problem which arises from the vague language of article II, section 1, clause 6 of the Constitution relating to presidential inability. In 1955, as chairman of this committee, I ordered a staff study of this problem and I appointed a special subcommittee of the ranking members to further the study. This study sought out the views of a select group of leading constitutional law professors and leading political scientists by way of a questionnaire. These answers and an analysis of them

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