Exotic, a convicted felon serving time and one-time Netflix sensation, has supposedly lodged his intention to run for the office of president in the next election cycle. Despite being in prison, Exotic has set up a campaign website and is urging his supporters to get behind him. 'Yes, I know I am in Federal Prison and you might think this is a joke but it's not,' the website reads. 'It is my Constitutional right to do so.'
However, the question remains: can felons actually run for president? The answer is not a straightforward one, as it depends on a variety of legal and constitutional factors. In this article, we will explore the history of this issue, recent cases and controversies, and the current state of the law.
The Constitution does not explicitly prohibit convicted felons from running for president. However, there are several legal and constitutional restrictions that limit the ability of felons to hold elected office. The most significant of these is the requirement that a candidate for president must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.
Because of the 22nd Amendment, the individual can't have been twice elected president previously,' Shaw said. 'But there's nothing in the Constitution that says a convicted felon can't run for president.'
Despite this lack of explicit prohibition, there are several legal obstacles that make it difficult for felons to run for elected office. One of the primary challenges is the fact that many states have laws that prohibit felons from voting or holding elected office. These laws vary from state to state, but they generally make it difficult for felons to run for office at the state or local level.
Previous Supreme Court rulings hold that a state cannot prohibit indicted or convicted felons from running for federal office, and Congress cannot add additional qualifications to those outlined in the Constitution. However, states still have the power to regulate the qualifications of their own candidates for state and local office.
In recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of felons running for office, including a convicted murderer who ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2018. In that case, the candidate was ultimately disqualified from the race due to a provision in the state constitution that prohibits felons from holding elected office.
Jailed Joe Exotic has announced he will run for President of the United States in 2024 in a challenge to US president Joe Biden.
Another legal obstacle that felons face when running for office is the fact that they may have difficulty obtaining the necessary security clearances to hold certain federal positions. This is especially true for felons who have been convicted of crimes involving national security or classified information.
Despite these legal and constitutional obstacles, there is nothing in the law that explicitly prohibits felons from running for president. However, given the political and legal challenges that felons face when running for office, it is unlikely that we will see many convicted felons running for president in the near future.
In conclusion, while the Constitution does not explicitly prohibit felons from running for president, there are significant legal and constitutional obstacles that make it difficult for them to do so. While there have been some recent cases of felons running for office, it is unlikely that we will see many convicted felons running for president in the near future.
