Legal News

Oops! A Chief Slipup on the Oath of Office

By Ashby Jones

Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution provides that: “Before [an incoming U.S. president] enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

That’s it. Just a few words. So our heart went out to Chief Justice John Roberts a little over an hour ago when he appeared to slip up on his administration of the oath to President Obama. For those who missed it, or would like a replay, check out the YouTube clip.

When the Chief Justice read the second clause of the statement, he omitted the word “faithfully” from its rightful place, and stuck it at the end of the clause. Grammatically, Roberts’s construction made perhaps better sense than the Framers’, but his switcheroo seems to have tripped up the 44th Prez.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on January 20, 2009 (boomark / email).