What would you think if I told you that for over a century, Congress had to wait thirteen months after being elected before they could convene for the first time. This means that for over a century, our federal Congress was not active but every other year. Well, that’s what I’m telling you. What does […]
The Amendments Series: The Twentieth Amendment Read More »
I’ve decided to write on the 19th Amendment today because I want to clarify something about the Constitution and how it works. When you hear the 19th Amendment, what do you think of? Most of you, if you know what it means, will think something like this: “Oh, that’s the amendment that gave women the
The Amendments Series: The 19th Amendment Read More »
The Eighteenth Amendment is the first and only amendment to have been revoked in its entirety. It’s also one of the few amendments that applies to the citizenry rather than the government. It’s also one of a slew of amendments to be passed in a rather amendment-frenzied period of American history. It’s been thirty years
The Amendments Series: Prohibition Read More »
Ah, the infamous Seventeenth Amendment. At least, it’s quite infamous in the circles in which I run. I can’t tell you how many times I hear the phrase, “It was the Seventeenth Amendment that destroyed us!”. It’s quite the controversial amendment today (not at the time of its passage)… one that deserves some special time
The Amendments Series: The Popular Election of U.S. Senators Read More »
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.” Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution Ah, taxes… the required payment we all love and appreciate as part of our civic duty, right? 😉 The Sixteenth
The Amendments Series: The Sixteenth Amendment Read More »
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” The Fifteen Amendment is likely one that, when
The Amendments Series: The Fifteenth Amendment Read More »
How many of you have noticed over the past few articles on the 14th Amendment that the Court has been the primary wielder of this amendment’s power? Right? I mean, most of the major shifts in power from state to federal have occurred, not by legislative statue, but Supreme Court interpretation. Abortion, marriage, contraceptives, integration
The Amendments Series: The Fourteenth Amendment’s Enforcement Clause Read More »
“…Nor shall any State… deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Equal protection under the law is an essential part of a Constitutional and free society. It would be silly to create a government tasked with writing laws to protect us and our private property from each other, confine
The Amendments Series: Amendment 14, The Equal Protection Clause Read More »
“Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial
The Amendments Series: The 14th Amendment, Due Process Read More »
Before I unpack the rest of the Fourteenth Amendment, I need to take a moment to hammer down the significance of “incorporation” and this amendment’s contribution to it. Prior to the amendment’s passage and even based on Supreme Court precedent, Barron v. Baltimore (1833), the Constitution and, more specifically, The Bill of Rights, did NOT
The Amendment Series: The 14th Amendment-Incorporation Read More »