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Congress Passes 25th Amendment

1965

The 25th Amendment is passed by Congress after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. When Lyndon Johnson becomes president, the office of vice president is left vacant. Concern over this vacancy and Johnson’s health – he had a heart attack before becoming president – leads Congress to develop an emergency succession plan. Although other constitutional amendments establish a time limit for ratification by the states, the 25th Amendment has no limit.