How many nonconsecutive terms may a president be elected?

Answer 1

Two. You can serve two terms in any way you want but it can't be more than two terms.

U.S. Const., Amend. XXII:

"Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress."

With the ratification of Amendment XXII, the number of times any one person could lawfully be elected President was thereby constitutionally limited to two. Lyndon B. Johnson and Gerald R. Ford, had either one been subsequently elected after acceding to the office, would have been term-limited by the operation of this Amendment to one term in office as President.

After Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to the office four times, the constitutional textual term limit was deemed necessary, but prior to the ratification of Amendment XXII, it was legally possible for a President to serve more than two terms in office. Thus, the Constitution operated differently prior to the ratification of Amendment XXII on March 21, 1947.

The constitutionality of section two as amending the amending formula contained in U.S. Const., Art. V* (which is itself silent as to a sunset for State ratification) to the extent of placing a sunset on State ratification, had originally been explicitly upheld in Dillon v. Gloss, 256 U.S. 368 (1921), but then the Court held the question non-justiciable in Coleman v. Miller, 307 U.S. 433 (1939), leaving the question entirely within the purview of Congress to decide.

In fact, Amendment XXVII was deemed ratified in 1992, 203 years after being initially submitted in 1789. However, by Coleman, a sunset provision as to ratification would be constitutional, and they have routinely been effected in various ways as to various Amendments.

*"The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate."

Answer 2

Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Grant, Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton and G.W. Bush were the presidents that served two or more consecutive full terms.

Answer 3

Up to 2 terms

Answer 4

2