What is the ?

Refreshed intermittently
The 20th Amendment to the Constitution moves the start of presidential and vice-presidential terms to January 20 and congressional terms to January 3. It also establishes what happens if a president-elect dies or has not been chosen before the term begins.

1933

The year this amendment was ratified in.

What is a constitutional amendment?

A constitutional amendment alters the Constitution of the United States by striking or inserting new language. The Constitution establishes the structure, powers, and responsibilities of the federal government. It has been formally amended 27 times.

The constitutional amendment process is as follows:

Step 1

Two-thirds vote

An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures.

Step 2

Three-fourths ratification

Once proposed, the archivist of the United States submits the amendment to the states for consideration. It becomes part of the Constitution once it is ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Full text of the 20th Amendment

"Section 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. Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified. Section 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them. Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article. Section 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission."

When did the states ratify the 20th Amendment?

Congress proposed this amendment on March 3, 1932. Ratification was completed on January 23, 1933, when the 36th state, Georgia, approved the amendment, with 48 states in the Union at the time. Virginia was the first state to approve, one day after the amendment was proposed. Florida was the last state to approve, 419 days after the amendment was proposed.

Georgia completed ratification of the 20th Amendment.

Date of ratification by state, 20th Amendment

Get weekly insights

Subscribe for data-driven insights. No spin, just the facts.

How has the 20th Amendment shaped Supreme Court rulings?

The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review, which is the authority to declare that federal or state government actions violate the Constitution. This power shows how individual amendments can have a lasting impact on how laws are interpreted and applied.

Under judicial review, there have been zero cases where the Court struck down laws as unconstitutional using the 20th Amendment.

Keep exploring

Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.