A Response to the “Runaway Scenario”
NOTE: This is an updated version of an essay first published in 2013. For a comprehensive treatment of amendment law, […]
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Constitutional Arcana: The Forgotten Navigation Convention of 1786
In an earlier post, I reported that the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was far from unique: that during the lifetime
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New Article: James Madison, Federal Overreaching, and Amendments Conventions
The writings of James Madison still offer useful guidance for states seeking to restrain federal overreaching. Akron Law Review has
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New “how to” paper on proposing constitutional amendments by convention
The Independence Institute has published my new Issue Paper, Amending the Constitution by Convention: Practical Guidance for Citizens and Policymakers.
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New History of Founding Era Conventions
Very few people know that the Constitutional Convention of 1787 only the last of nearly 20 other conventions in which
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Why an Amendments Convention is not a “Constitutional Convention”
Sometimes a convention for proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution is referred to as a “constitutional convention.” That title is
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The Little-Known—but Seminal—York Town Convention of 1777
The U.S. Constitution authorizes a “convention for proposing amendments” to offer amendments for ratification (or rejection) by the states. The
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The Fascinating Story of How the States Used the Constitution’s Amendment Procedure to Adopt Reform, 1789-1913
Common sense tells us that an out-of-control Congress is not going to rein in its own power. The American Founders
Confused About an Article V Amendments Convention? New Article Provides Answers
As I predicted in this column, Congress’s continued inability to deal effectively with the debt crisis is AGAIN provoking interest
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Reining in Congress: An Enforceable Balanced Budget Amendment
There is growing sentiment that one or more constitutional amendments may be necessary to rein in the runaway Congress. The
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Corrective Constitutional Amendments?
“A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation. Without such means it might
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New paper summarizes rules for amending the Constitution
Our sister institution, The Goldwater Institute in Phoenix, Arizona has just published my paper, Amending the Constitution by Convention: Practical
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