Oath of Office

In the Federal Government, in order for an official to take

office, he or she must first take the oath of office; this is also known as a swearing-in
ceremony. The official reciting the oath swears an allegiance to uphold the Constitution.
The Constitution only specifies an oath of office for the President; however, Article VI of
the Constitution states that other officials, including members of Congress, "shall be
bound by Oath or Affirmation to support this constitution."

The following includes oath information for high ranking officials from each of the three
branches of Government.

Executive Branch: President and Vice President of the United States

According to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, a President's term of office
begins at 12:00 p.m. (noon) on January 20th of the year following an election. In order
to assume his or her duties, the President-elect must recite the Oath of Office. The Oath
is administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The President-elect places
the left hand on the Bible, raises the right hand, and takes the Oath as directed by the
Chief Justice. The Oath, as stated in Article II, Section I, Clause 8 of the U.S.
Constitution, is as follows:

"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."

The Vice President also takes an oath of office. Until 1933, the Vice President took the
oath of office in the Senate; today, both the President and Vice President are
inaugurated in the same ceremony. The Vice President's oath is administered
immediately before the President's. The Vice President's oath may be administered by
the retiring Vice President, by a member of Congress, or by some other Government
official, such as a justice of the Supreme Court. The Vice President's oath is as follows:

"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United
States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same: that I take this obligation freely, without any mental
reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties
of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."