Constitutional cliffhangers a legal guide for presidents and their enemies - Kalt, Brian C. (Yale University Press, 2012)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-239) and index
Prosecuting a president -- The presidential self-pardon controversy -- Removing a "disabled" president -- The line of succession controversy -- Impeaching an ex-president -- The third-term controversy -- Getting out of trouble
"The United States Constitution contains some potentially fatal weaknesses surrounding presidential selection, replacement, or punishment that could lead to constitutional controversies. In this compelling and fascinating book, Brian C. Kalt envisions six such controversies, ranging from the criminal prosecution of a sitting president, to a two-term president's attempt to stay in power, to the ousting of an allegedly disabled president. None of these things have ever occurred, but in recent years, many of them almost have. The events Kalt describes are all situations where matters of constitutional interpretation would carry enormous political consequences. Because such events would put so much stress on our structure of government, we need to strive toward clear neutral rules that would resolve these situations smoothly and peacefully, rather than through a might-makes-right process"--