Why Is the Twentieth Amendment Called the “Lame Duck Amendment”?

In 1923 Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska wrote the initial resolution for what would later become the U.S. Constitution’s Twentieth Amendment. The Twentieth Amendment, commonly known as the “Lame Duck Amendment,” was officially ratified nearly a decade later, in 1933. Prior to its ratification, unseated members of Congress and the president and vice president continued their terms until March 4, roughly four months after election day. Consequently, many politicians served as “lame ducks,” incapable of adequately representing their constituents and instituting public policy. With its ratification, the Twentieth Amendment shortened the period in which defeated officials would remain in office by a few months by requiring members of Congress to transition out of office on January 3 and the president and vice president on January 20. Because of this change, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first U.S. president with an inauguration in January, which occurred when he began his second term as president. Beyond changes to elected officials’ inaugural dates, the Twentieth Amendment also outlined processes regarding death, disability, disqualification, and succession. One of these processes allows for Congress to make decisions regarding the office of the president, in the case that no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes or no qualified candidate is found before the beginning of the new term. In addition, the amendment outlines succession in the case of the death of a president-elect. While the amendment is seemingly uncontroversial, its ratification was considered to be a win for progressive voters at the time. In their eyes, the Twentieth Amendment pushed the country’s elected officials to more urgently take up their roles as public servants.