What is An Amendments Convention? A Quick Intro

April 9, 2015 Rob Natelson 0

Are you a journalist or other citizen who needs a quick overview of the Constitution’s Article V “Convention for Proposing Amendments?” Get our issue paper, “Curing Federal Dysfunction by Constitutional Amendment: A Primer.”
It’s a vital resource for anyone who wants a quick and accurate overview of the process.
It explains what a Convention for Proposing Amendments […]

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Where Chief Justice Burger Likely Got His Anti-Amendment Convention Views

March 20, 2015 Rob Natelson 0

This article originally appeared in the American Thinker.
Opponents of the Constitution’s Article V convention method of proposing amendments tout three letters written in the 1980s by former Chief Justice Warren Burger. In those letters, Burger took a very hard line against any convention of states that might bypass Congress and propose corrective constitutional amendments.
I’ve previously […]

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Mike Stern Rebuts Claim that “Congress would control a convention”

March 6, 2015 Rob Natelson 0

Article V scholar and former House of Representatives legal counsel Mike Stern has just written a response to the irresponsible claim that Congress could control a Convention for Proposing Amendments, either by specifying how commissioners are allocated or in other ways.
His response is worth wide publicity. Here it is:
RESPONSE TO FEBRUARY 24, 2015 PAPER ENTITLED […]

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Article V Opponents Now Peddling Article 23 Years Out of Date

January 18, 2015 Rob Natelson 0

The latest tactic in Article V opponents’ game of “Whac-A-Mole”* is the circulation of an article 23 years out of date.
The article was published in 1992 and is entitled A New Constitutional Convention? Critical Look at Questions Answered, and Not Answered, by Article Five of the United States Constitution. It was authored by John Eidsmoe.
The […]

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Principles for Drafting A Balanced Budget Amendment

December 1, 2014 Rob Natelson 0

This article originally appeared at The American Thinker.
The Article V Handbook, which I authored for the American Legislative Exchange Council, emphasizes that citizens pressing for constitutional amendments should avoid fringe or unpopular proposals. The Handbook distills four guiding principles for selecting amendments worthy of support:
(1) An amendment should move America back toward Founding principles.
(2) […]