Why is the president sworn in at noon?

Answer 1

I believe the answer is found in the 20th Amendment (adopted in 1933) to the U.S. Constitution. That amendment established January 20th as the day -- and noon as the time at which-- the new president assumes responsibility. The president becomes president, officially, at noon on January 20th regardless of whether or not (s)he is sworn in on that day. However, the president must take the Oath of Office prior to taking any formal action(s) as president. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for his second term, was the first to be sworn in under the conditions established by the 20th Amendment (1937). For his second term of office, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was privately sworn in on January 20, 1957. However, because that day fell on a Sunday, a second, public swearing in ceremony/inauguration was held at noon on Monday, January 21, 1957 for the public celebration. So, with the exception of death, removal from office or resignation from the office of president in each case, a vice-presidential succession can be any date and time on that day. But for president-elects, it is officially set for the 20th of January the year following the general election for president.

Answer 2

As by the constitution: 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin. Hope that helped.

Answer 3

This date and time are given in the constitution, amendment 20. The amendment was passed by Congress and later ratified by 36 states. Noon seems like a good time. It is late enough to have a parade in day light before it and early enough for everyone to get home before dark. i do not think the time of day was at all controversial . They kept the old time when they moved the date from March 4 and nobody objected . In actuality, the VP is sworn first, usually near noon and the President is sworn in somewhat later.

Answer 4

The timing of the oath of office for the US president is determined by the 20th Amendment, added in 1933:

Section 1 reads: "The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin."

The amendment was created to reduce the amount of time between the election and the beginning of the new president's and Congress' terms. As recently as 1933, the gap was about four months, which put the brakes on government that became unreasonable in the modern era.

Answer 5

By US law the President-elect becomes President at noon on Inauguration Day regardless of the time of the swearing in ceremony. The ceremony is a formal symbolic tradition, but the law is what dictates the time the new President assumes office. Because the ceremonies for swearing the oath of office are timed to correspond as well as possible to the time of the official legal placement in office at noon, and because they are held in Washington, DC where the time zone is the US Eastern Time Zone, the Inauguration is scheduled for noon Eastern Standard Time.

Answer 6

The 20th Amendment