How the Presidency Changed Forever

Abstract

Published Nov. 5, 2012. ; "Sick of the campaign? Blame the 12th Amendment. . Both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are battling to shape the political future of the country. In so doing, argues MU Assistant Law Professor Joshua Hawley, both men embody an approach to the presidency that bears little resemblance to the one contemplated by the authors of the Constitution when they met in Philadelphia in 1787. The framers did not mean the presidency to be a political office active in the legislative process, says Hawley, who is preparing a law review article on the topic. He traces the birth of the modern political presidency to the ratification of the 12th Amendment to the Constitution in 1803." ; Story by Erik Potter.