Posted on 01/17/2019 10:43:58 AM PST by crz
Can the president of the United States convene or adjourn the legislature?
“The Constitution explicitly assigns the president the power to sign or veto legislation, command the armed forces, ask for the written opinion of their Cabinet, convene or adjourn Congress, grant reprieves and pardons, and receive ambassadors.”
Furthermore, he has the authority to “commission” to carry out the laws of the United States. Although he CAN NOT make law, he can carry them out.
He has the authority to suspend sessions of congress till he deems it proper to re-convene.
No president has ever used this power and it is within his constitutional authority to do so. Its a check for a out of control congress or a congress that will not do its job.
LEGISLATIVE ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT
The clause directing the President to report to the Congress on the state of the union imposes a duty rather than confers a power, and is the formal basis of the President’s legislative leadership. The President’s legislative role has attained great proportions since 1900. This development, however, represents the play of political and social forces rather than any pronounced change in constitutional interpretation. Especially is it the result of the rise of parties and the accompanying recognition of the President as party leader, of the appearance of the National Nominating Convention and the Party Platform, and of the introduction of the Spoils System, an ever present help to Presidents in times of troubled relations with Congress.651 It is true that certain pre-Civil War Presidents, mostly of Whig extraction, professed to entertain nice scruples on the score of “usurping” legislative powers,652 but still earlier ones, Washington, Jefferson, and Jackson among them, took a very different line, albeit less boldly and persistently than their later imitators.653 Today, there is no subject on which the President may not appropriately communicate to Congress, in as precise terms as he chooses, his conception of its duty. Conversely, the President is not obliged by this clause to impart information which, in his judgment, should in the public interest be withheld.654 The President has frequently summoned both Houses into “extra” or “special sessions” for legislative purposes, and the Senate alone for the consideration of nominations and treaties. His power to adjourn the Houses has never been exercised.
Have at it folks.
Opinions needed.
BTW. He has to re-convene the congress once a year per the constitution.
Could you imagine the heads explode if he did this, because not doing their job is true
Can Nancy cancel President’s Day ? LOL
Until a Federal Judge in Hawaii rules otherwise
I did research the opinions in the constitutional convention debates and YES, Morris, Sherman and Wilson talked about this very thing. They called it a “pure and unmixed” tyranny by cabal.
Of course, they also talked about tyranny by a monarch-since they were discussing the monarchy in Britain for comparison.
SO..although they did not like it, they needed to put in checks and balances for executive veto against this type of tyranny as well as impeachment against the executive to prevent a dictator...it seems.
Some, actually did not want an executive. So we know some of the opinions of the founders. More research is needed and I am about spent for a while.
The book I have is the Anti-Federalist Papers and Constitutional Convention Debates. By Ralph Ketcham.
The answer is yes.
And there are many options available for a president to mute the House and Senate.
I think many people would be supportive of any president that exercised those options.
Oh absolutely. Then he has a reason to postpone all legislative session until the matter is taken up by the SCOTUS.
If they rule against the constitution? Then who knows.
Congress should be deemed nonessential and thus furloughed without pay.
I wonder if Lincoln ever considered this instead of going the way he did.
OK, so he adjourns it. Then what?
I like it. Trump to a joint session: “Get thee hence. You’ve sat too long for any good you might have done”.
Save this trump card (pun intended) for when the Dems begin impeachment proceedings ... and watch their collective heads explode.
“Until a Federal Judge in Hawaii rules otherwise.”
Having Federal Marshals pick him up would also be on the agenda.
Breaking. Trump CANCELS Pelosi’d foreign trip. LOL
This would seem to be the perfect setup to use it. Senate backs President. House is retarded.
But what would actually be gained by adjourning Congress?
It would be kind of fun to adjourn the house in response to Nancy’s disinvite of the State of the Union address.
I think it would infuriate the House. And Senate Rino’s could use it as an excuse to side with the democrats.
So I’m having a hard time imagining how this could be used to good effect.
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