Legal Definitions - Twenty-second Amendment

Twenty-second Amendment

The Twenty-second Amendment is a part of the United States Constitution that sets limits on how many times an individual can be elected President.

Ratified in 1951, this amendment generally prohibits a person from being elected to the office of President more than twice. It also includes a specific provision for individuals who become President through succession (e.g., if the President dies or resigns): if a person serves more than two years of a predecessor's term, they can then only be elected President once more. This effectively caps a person's total potential time as President at ten years, though the core restriction is on the number of *elections*.

Here are some examples illustrating the Twenty-second Amendment:

• Standard Two-Term Limit: Imagine a highly popular President, Sarah Chen, is elected in 2024 and then successfully re-elected for a second term in 2028. After serving her second full term, which would end in January 2033, President Chen would be constitutionally prohibited by the Twenty-second Amendment from running for President again in the 2032 election. She has already been elected twice, reaching the maximum allowed by the amendment.
• Succession and One Re-election: Consider a scenario where President David Lee unexpectedly resigns in early 2026, with more than two years remaining in his term. Vice President Maria Rodriguez then assumes the presidency. Because she served more than half of President Lee's term, the Twenty-second Amendment dictates that she can only be elected President once more. If she runs for and wins the presidency in 2028, she would serve that term but would then be ineligible to run for re-election in 2032, having reached her limit of one election after serving a significant portion of a prior term.
• Succession and Two Re-elections: Suppose President Emily White passes away in late 2027, with less than two years remaining in her term. Vice President Robert Green then becomes President. Since he served less than half of President White's term, the Twenty-second Amendment allows him to be elected President twice. He could run for and win the presidency in 2028, and then run for and win re-election in 2032, serving two full elected terms in addition to the short period he served after President White's passing.