What Makes a Law Unconstitutional?
Introduction: Not Every Law Is a Valid Law In the United States, there is a hierarchy of law. At the very top sits the U.S. Constitution the supreme law of the land. Every other law federal statutes, state laws, local ordinances, administrative regulations must be consistent with the Constitution. When it is […]
How Americans Can Participate in Constitutional Reform
Introduction: Reform Starts With You One of the most common refrains in American civic life is “the system is broken.” But systems do not fix themselves. Constitutional reform real, lasting, structural change requires citizen participation. Always has. Always will. The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times, and every single one of […]
What Is the Difference Between Civil Rights and Civil Liberties?
Introduction: Two Concepts That Often Get Confused “Civil rights” and “civil liberties” are terms that appear constantly in American political discourse often used interchangeably and often confused. But they are distinct legal concepts that describe different kinds of constitutional protections, arise from different legal sources, and address different types of government conduct. Understanding the […]
Understanding the 14th Amendment and Equal Protection
Introduction: The Second American Founding Scholars often call the Civil War era a “second founding” of the United States a moment when the nation was remade in the aftermath of its greatest crisis. At the center of that remaking was the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868. More than any other constitutional provision, the 14th […]
How State Coalitions Can Push for Constitutional Change
Introduction: The States Are the Foundation James Madison called the states “the surest bulwarks against anti-republican tendencies.” In the American constitutional system, states are not administrative units of the federal government. They are sovereign political entities with their own constitutional powers and a critical role in shaping the national constitutional order. When states coordinate […]
What Is Judicial Overreach and Why Does It Matter?
Introduction: When Courts Cross the Line The judiciary is one of three co-equal branches of the United States government. Its constitutional role is to interpret the law to apply the Constitution and statutes to specific cases, and to determine whether government actions are lawful. It is not the role of the judiciary to make […]
How Grassroots Movements Influence Constitutional Reform
Introduction: The People Have Always Led the Way Every constitutional amendment that expanded rights, corrected injustices, or restructured government power in American history was preceded by a grassroots movement. Before the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, there was the abolitionist movement. Before the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, there were decades of suffrage […]
Constitutional Rights Every American Should Know
Introduction: Rights You Cannot Afford to Ignore In a country as large and complex as the United States, it is easy to feel that constitutional rights are abstract concepts belonging to lawyers, judges, and politicians. But constitutional rights are not theoretical. They are the practical protections that shape your relationship with every level of government […]
What Happens During a Constitutional Convention?
Introduction: America’s Most Powerful and Most Unused Reform Mechanism The United States has held exactly one constitutional convention in its history: the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which produced the Constitution we still live under today. Since then, the country has grown from 13 colonies to 50 states, amended its founding document 27 times, […]
How the Article V Convention Process Works Step by Step
Introduction: The People’s Ultimate Reform Tool The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification in 1788. Every single one of those amendments was proposed by Congress. But the Constitution provides a second path one that has never been fully used, but that was designed specifically for moments when Congress itself […]