Reading Room Document
Application of the Ineligibility Clause
The Ineligibility Clause of the Constitution would not bar the appointment of Representative Bill Richardson to serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations or of Senator William Cohen to serve as Secretary of Defense. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/19881/download.
The OLC's Opinions
Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit