The Missing Half of Originalism

By framing the fundamental issue as judicial amendment vs. democratic amendment, originalists can make clear that they are defending democratic government, not the dead hand of history as portrayed so often by their opponents. However, unlike regular laws, which can be readily amended by current legislatures, the Constitution can only be democratically changed by the lugubrious procedures of Article V. Therefore, originalists need to actively advocate reform of Article V. . . . → Read More: The Missing Half of Originalism

Amending the Constitution to Constrain Federal Power: There Is An Alternative to a Doomed Convention of the States

Even with the most extensive Republican control of state legislatures in almost a century, constitutional conservatives still fall short of the 34 states needed to call an Article Five Convention of the States. Americans seeking to restore the constitutional balance between state and federal power would be well served to also promote reform of Article Five itself to eliminate the requirement that the states go through the archaic and unworkable mechanism of a convention in order to initiate amendments to the Constitution. . . . → Read More: Amending the Constitution to Constrain Federal Power: There Is An Alternative to a Doomed Convention of the States

A Convention To Implement the Liberty Amendments?

Mark Levin has directed attention to the use of the amendment power to restore constitutional government. However, the use of a state-called convention to accomplish this is very problematic from a procedural point of view, let alone concerns for a “runaway” convention. The better approach is to first adopt Levin’s and others’ suggestion that we amend Article V to permit states to initiate amendments without having to go through a convention. . . . → Read More: A Convention To Implement the Liberty Amendments?