Tag: 21st Amendment

What is a State Ratifying Convention?

The 21st Amendment – and Ratifying Conventions

Only once in U.S. history has Congress used the state ratifying conventions mentioned in Article V to amend the U.S. Constitution. This occurred in 1933 for the 21st Amendment.  What is a state ratifying convention? Continue reading “What is a State Ratifying Convention?”

Gov. Abbott Wants a Con Con, part I

The Article V convention is a Constitutional Convention
[Part I]

Governor Abbott unveiled his Texas Plan on January 8, 2016 with his wish list of amendments to the U.S. Constitution. This is interesting because the governor has no legislative powers.

Texas Constitution, Article II:. The powers of the Government of the State

1875 Texas Constitutional Convention
1875 Texas Constitutional Convention

of Texas shall be divided into three distinct departments, each of which shall be confided to a separate body of magistracy, to wit: Those which are Legislative to one; those which are Executive to another, and those which are Judicial to another; and no person, or collection of persons, being of one of these departments, shall exercise any power properly attached to either of the others, except in the instances herein expressly permitted.

Only the Texas legislature can propose a “request” (through a resolution) to Congress, for an Article V convention, a.k.a. constitutional convention (con con), yet Gov. Abbott released his 92 page “Texas Plan” to re-write the U.S. Constitution (con con). And, no less than 5 times the governor calls for a “constitutional convention”, under the Texas Plan (pages 67 & 68). Continue reading “Gov. Abbott Wants a Con Con, part I”