Deep presidential succession

Has anyone done any timelines where ALL designated successors to the presidency have been disabled, killed, or otherwise removed from the scene? Is there any continuation of government provision in such a situation? I suspect that, hidden away somewhere in the files of the darkest archives are contingency plans for such circumstances.

As things stand now, if the "designated survivor" is slain at the same time the rest of the government is, then there's no president, and no way of choosing one. There's no provisions in the constitution for picking even an acting president, and many things can't be done without a president.

I therefore present something I dreamed up last night, for anyone here to use for their own timeline, criticize, comment on, or improve. I could see it being enacted after a close call of some sort.


A deep presidential succession act



The Presidential succession as ordained by other acts, both previously and subsequent to this act, shall take precedence over the order listed herein; this act is to provide for presidential succession in the event that none designated by other acts shall be eligible.



If no candidate under the existing succession shall be eligible, than presidency shall fall to the seniormost eligible senator, determined as follows:

Time in the senate shall determine seniority

If multiple senators have equal time in the senate, then precedence shall be determined in the order of the senator’s state’s admission to the Union.

If both senators from that state should be equal in seniority, than the one from the first district shall be president.



If no Senator shall be eligible, than presidency shall fall to the seniormost eligible member of the House of representatives, determined as follows:

Time served in the House of Representatives shall determine seniority

If multiple Representatives have equal time in the senate, then precedence shall be determined in the order of the Representative’s state’s admission to the Union.

If multiple Representatives from that state should be equal in seniority, than the one from the lowest numbered district shall be president.



If no president shall be chosen, then a state governor shall be president, with precedent determined by the state’s order of entry into the Union.



If no president shall be chosen, then a state lieutenant governor shall be president, with precedent determined by the state’s order of entry into the Union.



If no president shall be chosen, then the senior surviving member of the United States Military shall be president.


Should anyone else be included before the military? Perhaps deputy cabinet members? Should the military be designated "Acting President," so that, should someone else be discovered alive, they take the position automatically?

I tried to make sure that the succession was unambiguous--and if it gets to the military, the USA is so messed up that it might not matter who gets the job anyway.

I left the judicial branch out altogether, as they would be the ones ruling on a disputed succession.

Mainly this is random thoughts that I present for the use of anyone who might consider writing a post-apocalyptic timeline. Thought? Ideas?
 
Simplest answer would be to have Congress automatically reconvene in the event of a Presidential assassination. Then a Speaker of the House and President Pro-tem of the Senate can be chosen. That gives you a POTUS and an heir-apparent.
 
Simplest answer would be to have Congress automatically reconvene in the event of a Presidential assassination. Then a Speaker of the House and President Pro-tem of the Senate can be chosen. That gives you a POTUS and an heir-apparent.

That would be a suitable makeshift if Congress is able to convene quickly. If that's not practical, perhaps because of all the glowing spots here and there, or nasty people with tanks and guns scattered about, this might cover the mess.
 
1. Senators 2. Congresspersons 3. Governors 4. Lt.-Governors 5. State senators. 6 State representatives 7. Mayors 8. Deputy Mayors. 9. City councilors 10. Deputy federal cabinet secretaries 11. State cabinet secretaries 12. Deputy state cabinet secretaries 13. City cabinet 14. Deputy city cabinet 15. WH Chief of Staff 15. State chiefs of staff 16. City chiefs of staff 17. Military.
 
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Fortyseven ?Why military so low? I mean if you are down lower than governor shit has really hit the fan hard...
 
if shit hits hard enough to take all of the governors out.. which is almost too impractical to consider... there's no way in hell that the official chain of command is going to be observed at the time of the crisis. the military will be in charge for a while before getting someone in once things have calmed down and that's the best case scenario. i'd argue they'd stop observing the chain after all of congress is annihilated
 
The whole idea of this thread is that someone decides that the Presidential Succession list is simply not long enough. If it's bad enough that the existing list is all dead, it will be very bad--so having a dispute abut who can give the orders might just be enough to push the nation over the edge.

I wonder if making the President, in circumstances such as this, an "Acting President" might be a good idea, since that way, if someone claims the Oval Office falsely, they aren't sworn in, but simply acting, until an election can be held.

I put the military in the position I did, because, if there's no Congress or Governor, the nation is totally screwed.

For an ASB author, It's also a useful way to preserve the continuity of the USA as an acting nation in the event that, for example, most of the solar system is devastated by a plague...
 
I wonder with such an exhausting list and given the damage that caused the government to fracture so badly if you might not end up with competing acting presidents and a small civil war.
 
I wonder with such an exhausting list and given the damage that caused the government to fracture so badly if you might not end up with competing acting presidents and a small civil war.

That's exactly why I was thinking that the position be defined as "Acting President," and the law could be written in such a way that, if someone with precedence over the current acting president is found alive, that person becomes acting president. Realistically, if things are that bad, the nation, and probably organized government of humanity, is most likely washed up.

It does mean that, if Earth is nailed, then some asteroid colony has the legitimacy to continue as "The United States of America."
 
Elected officials with experience governing should take precedence.

And in any case, if the disaster is so great that the majority of State governments have ceased to function, as well as Federal, then are the military likely to be any better shape than anyone else? Has it destroyed the State capitals but somehow spared the Army bases?
 
And in any case, if the disaster is so great that the majority of State governments have ceased to function, as well as Federal, then are the military likely to be any better shape than anyone else? Has it destroyed the State capitals but somehow spared the Army bases?

Yes. Targeted assassinations are also possible.
 
And in any case, if the disaster is so great that the majority of State governments have ceased to function, as well as Federal, then are the military likely to be any better shape than anyone else? Has it destroyed the State capitals but somehow spared the Army bases?

The military is more dispersed than state governments, from the depths of the Pacific ocean and the deserts of Afghanistan, to the icy cold of the Outer Solar System, so long as one soldier, airman, or spacer survives, there is someone to speak and act for the United States. Si I'd say that the military could have surviving members after state governments don't. In the event of a disaster, knowing who is in charge can be important. Also, in a future setting, automated systems that otherwise won't work for a master sergeant will, if said master sergeant is president of the United States.

This is intended to be the writings of a seriously paranoid legislator--but it's also relatively harmless, as it specificly states that it comes into play only AFTER any other succession laws have run out of candidates.
 
As I said in this thread's equivalent in Chat, whatever catastrophe manages to kill all of those people probably warrants more attention than figuring out who gets to call themself President.
 
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