Podcast appearances and mentions of John D Feerick

Fordham Conversations Host John Rogan is joined by John D. Feerick, the Norris Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law and dean emeritus to discuss Constitution Day, which is September 17--the date in 1787 when the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed off on the Constitution. As a recent graduate of Fordham College and Fordham Law School in the mid-1960s, Dean Feerick played a key role in framing the Constitution’s 25th Amendment—which addresses presidential succession and inability. He also worked on a nearly successful effort to abolish the Electoral College and brought his constitutional expertise back to Fordham Law School, where he teaches seminars and clinics on the Constitution.      Additional Resources Dean Feerick's 1963 Fordham Law Review article on presidential succession, which was published a month before the the Kennedy assassination and got him involved in working on the 25th Amendment  Fordham Law's 25th Amendment Archive, which includes Feerick's correspondence with members of Congress and others during the 25th Amendment's drafting Feerick's 1968 Fordham Law Review article calling for a constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College, which was published around the time he began working with the American Bar Association and Senator Birch Bayh on an amendment eliminating the Electoral College The reports from Fordham Law's Democracy and the Constitution Clinic, which Dean Feerick and John Rogan co-taught. The clinic advanced reform recommendations related to the Constitution. (added period) The Fordham University Press page for Feerick's memoir, which includes discussions of his work on constitutional issues  

In this episode, Hugh sits down with John D. Feerick, Dean Emeritus and Norris Professor of Law at Fordham Law School. John and Hugh discuss various aspects of John’s life and developments in the legal profession from the 1940s until now: a. John’s Irish family heritage and his childhood in a diverse neighborhood of working-class families in the Bronx; b. the growth of law firms from small to large to overwhelming; c. the role of bar associations, past and present; d. John's participation in the crafting and drafting of the 25th Amendment and the amendment to abolish the Electoral College; e. how the practice of law has changed since he became Dean; and f. how diversity has been a continuing issue. They also discuss some of the special people in John’s life, why he left practice to become Dean, and how he made a difference in whatever he did, including the transformation of the Fordham Law School into a leading law school on many levels. ___________________________________________________________________ Addendum: At this link, https://www.fordhampress.com/9780823252015/the-twenty-fifth-amendment/, you can obtain a copy of John’s autobiography, “That Further Shore: A Memoir of Irish Roots and American Promise,” and his book on the 25th Amendment, “The Twenty-Fifth Amendment – Its Complete History and Application,” now in its third printing.

The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is probably best known for what is in the fourth and final section, which spells out the way the president of the United States can be removed from office if they’re alive but unable to fulfill the duties of the office. But the second section—which clarifies the process for replacing a vice president—is actually worthy of consideration as well, now that President Trump has become the third president in the country’s history to be impeached, and is facing a trial in the U.S. Senate. John D. Feerick, Dean Emeritus and the Norris professor of law at Fordham Law School, was instrumental in getting the amendment passed. In October, 1963, Feerick, then a recent graduate from Fordham Law, published an article in the Fordham Law Review on the subject, and just a month later, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, prompting members of Congress to revisit the subject. Four years later, in February, 1967, the amendment was passed. We sat down with him to learn more.

Bob Herbert's guest, John Feerick, is a professor & former dean at Fordham Law School, who helped draft the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, covering presidential succession in cases of death, illness, mental impairment, impeachment & resignation.