Presidential transition of Barack Obama time of their election, President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden were incumbent U.S. Senators from Illinois and Delaware respectively. In accordance with Article I, Section 6 of the United States Constitution, both were required to resign their respective Senate seats on or before January 20, 2009, in order to become President and Vice President. Obama resigned from the Senate effective November 16, 2008. Initially, it was thought that his replacement would be named by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Since the term for the seat expired in January 2011, it would come up for its normal election in 2010 with
Christine Griffin 28, 2005, and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on November 4, 2005. Griffin was sworn in on January 3, 2006, to serve the remainder of a five-year term expiring July 1, 2009, and became the first female member of the commission with a physical disability. As commissioner, Griffin advocated for increasing the number of disabled workers in the federal government. In January 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Griffin as acting vice chairman of the commission. Griffin served until December 2009. President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Griffin as deputy director of the United States Office of