The 2011 State of the Union Address was given by President Barack Obamaon January 25, 2011 at 9 p.m. EST on , in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. The presiding officers of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives will sit behind him. this will be the first State of the Union address with Speaker of the House John Boehner seated behind the President, as the Republican Party gained a majority in the House during the 2010 midterm elections.
Senator Mark Udall of Colorado has proposed that members of both houses sit together regardless of party, breaking with tradition in light of the 2011 Tucson shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others. Sixty members of the House and Senate have signaled their support for the plan, with members of both houses planning to sit with members of the opposite party.
After visibly reacting to President Obama’s criticism during the 2010 State of the Union of the Citizens United decision, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito will not attend the speech. Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas were not present as well. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar served as the designated survivor, and will also not attend the speech.
