12-16-2024, 10:21 PM
https://dnyuz.com/2024/12/16/a-constitut...ts-coming/
...But a simple line in the Constitution allows Congress to convene a rewrite session if two-thirds of state legislatures have called for one. The option has never been used, but most states have long-forgotten requests on the books that could be enough to trigger a new constitutional convention, some scholars and politicians believe.
Some Democratic officials are more concerned than ever. In California, a Democratic state senator, Scott Wiener, will introduce legislation on Monday that would rescind the state’s seven active calls for a constitutional convention, the first such move since Donald J. Trump’s election to a second term.
Mr. Wiener, who represents San Francisco, and other liberal Democrats believe there is a strong possibility of a “runaway convention.” They say that Republicans could call a convention on the premise, say, of producing an amendment requiring that the federal budget be balanced, then open the door for a free-for-all in which a multitude of other amendments are considered, including some that could restrict abortion access or civil rights.
“I do not want California to inadvertently trigger a constitutional convention that ends up shredding the Constitution,” Mr. Wiener said in an interview.
More than 34 states appear to have standing requests to change the Constitution, some dating back more than 150 years, according to the Article 5 Library, a bare-bones website that scholars pointed to as the best known repository of applications to change the Constitution.
The list reads like a chronicle of generational concerns. In the early 20th century, more than 20 states wanted to insert anti-polygamy laws into the Constitution. In 1949, six states wanted to create a “world federal government.” Many of those applications remain active.
In more recent decades, some states have sought to install a balanced budget requirement for the federal government or give the president line-item veto authority.
At a congressional hearing focused on budget matters Wednesday, Mr. Arrington said that not holding a convention in 1979 was “a constitutional travesty” and that a convention should still be called today. At the hearing, David Walker, a former comptroller general of the United States, said that several states were planning to sue Congress for failing to call that convention.
...But a simple line in the Constitution allows Congress to convene a rewrite session if two-thirds of state legislatures have called for one. The option has never been used, but most states have long-forgotten requests on the books that could be enough to trigger a new constitutional convention, some scholars and politicians believe.
Some Democratic officials are more concerned than ever. In California, a Democratic state senator, Scott Wiener, will introduce legislation on Monday that would rescind the state’s seven active calls for a constitutional convention, the first such move since Donald J. Trump’s election to a second term.
Mr. Wiener, who represents San Francisco, and other liberal Democrats believe there is a strong possibility of a “runaway convention.” They say that Republicans could call a convention on the premise, say, of producing an amendment requiring that the federal budget be balanced, then open the door for a free-for-all in which a multitude of other amendments are considered, including some that could restrict abortion access or civil rights.
“I do not want California to inadvertently trigger a constitutional convention that ends up shredding the Constitution,” Mr. Wiener said in an interview.
More than 34 states appear to have standing requests to change the Constitution, some dating back more than 150 years, according to the Article 5 Library, a bare-bones website that scholars pointed to as the best known repository of applications to change the Constitution.
The list reads like a chronicle of generational concerns. In the early 20th century, more than 20 states wanted to insert anti-polygamy laws into the Constitution. In 1949, six states wanted to create a “world federal government.” Many of those applications remain active.
In more recent decades, some states have sought to install a balanced budget requirement for the federal government or give the president line-item veto authority.
At a congressional hearing focused on budget matters Wednesday, Mr. Arrington said that not holding a convention in 1979 was “a constitutional travesty” and that a convention should still be called today. At the hearing, David Walker, a former comptroller general of the United States, said that several states were planning to sue Congress for failing to call that convention.
