[Fortyfied]

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

Is it the intent of this oath to make the constitutionality of congressional legislation the responsiblity of the president?

The clause

...and will to the best of my ability...

seems to make the oath rather worthless.


Small wonder unconstitutional laws show up on the books.

Latest example? Soft money contribution reform was just found to be unconstitutional.

Seems like there should be a mechanism for determining the constitutionality of legislation prior to it being signed into law.

[para.2]

There is... It's called reading the blasted document!!:fire: :banghead: Something our elected officials obviously rarely do.

[Telperion]

Seems like there should be a mechanism for determining the constitutionality of legislation prior to it being signed into law.

Requiring prior judicial review would turn our courts into legislatures and our judges into lawmakers.

[Fortyfied]

What is this bunch doing? http://www.house.gov/judiciary/subconst.htm

The constitution is there mostly to regulate government and the laws government make mostly to regulate the people?

The legislative branch gets permission to convert its legislation into law from the executive branch by way of a presidential signature, but neither the executive nor legislative branch is required to get a judicial branch sign-off?

The legislative and executive branch creates an unconstitutional law and the people then have to make a big enough stink to force judicial review? Is this by design or some sort of corroded default condition?

[Sergeant Bob]

What is this bunch doing? http://www.house.gov/judiciary/subconst.htm

They're simply there to determine how far Congress can bend and twist the Constitution and still get away with it. :fire:

[Waitone]

Every construction project in the US must file and environment impact statement.

Every law propoposed at the federal level has to offer justification for the law being proposed. Its called "findings" and is at the first of every bill.

I would love to have congress required to have a "constitutional justification" laid out in every law. Can you imagine the fits that would cause the grabbers? How would McCain justify his campaign finance controll bill. Love to see congress provide in black and white the justification for prescription drugs.

<Flight of fancy just terminated by augering into the ground>