Oath Of Office

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This month the new President of the United States will be sworn in. There is actually a provision in the Constitution which sets forth what he is to say: it reads as follows: “I will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Defending the Constitution sounds good, but what does it mean? Every day for example the U.S. Supreme Court wrestles with constitutional issues. Are terrorists to be given the rights of other prisoners? Is the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment? Do citizens have the right to keep a gun in their own homes to protect themselves? Today, rarely do all 9 Supreme Court Justices agree on any of these issues. So when the President swears to protect and defend the Constitution, just exactly what that means is more and more the subject of controversy.

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