Joint Session of The United States Congress

Joint Session Of The United States Congress

Joint sessions of the United States Congress are the gatherings together of both houses of the United States Congress (the House of Representatives and Senate). Joint sessions are held on special occasions such as the State of the Union Address and presidential inaugurations.

Meetings of Congress for presidential inaugurations are a special case called formal joint gatherings, but may also be joint sessions if both houses are in session at the time.

Joint sessions and meetings are traditionally presided over by the Speaker of the House and take place at the House chamber. However, the Constitution requires the Vice President (as President of the Senate) to preside over the counting of electoral votes.

Read more about Joint Session Of The United States Congress:  State of The Union, Counting Electoral Votes, Subjects of Joint Sessions and Meetings, Historic Joint Sessions

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    I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making.
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    The profession I chose was politics; the profession I entered was the law. I entered the one because I thought it would lead to the other. It was once the same road; and Congress is [s]till full of lawyers.
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