US · constitutions
U.S. Const. art. II, § 2
[1] The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
[2] He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
[3] The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.
History
This text of the Constitution follows the engrossed copy signed by Gen. Washington and the deputies from 12 States. The small superior figures preceding the paragraphs designate clauses, and were not in the original and have no reference to footnotes. Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788. (H. Doc. 110-50, note 1.) Dated by the completion of ratification. The same note records March 4, 1789 as the day fixed for commencing the operations of Government under it. Text as printed in H. Doc. 110-50, THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA As Amended (Government Publishing Office; issued 2007-07-25, GovInfo CDOC-110hdoc50). Clause figures are printed here as [1], [2], … at the start of each clause.
Provenance
- Source
- www.govinfo.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-24
- Edition
- h-doc-110-50
- Content hash
aea8e477296d2527e01ac7a60d1765c18a27fa89ee0059a46a92beb700a6a67c
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