Conservatives Want Amendment To Allow States To Overturn Federal Law

Posted by | December 20, 2010 11:32 | Filed under: Top Stories


An effort is afoot to enhance states’ rights, as conservative favor a Constitutional amendment that would state that any regulation or law could be overturned if two-thirds of the states voted to do so.

The idea has been propelled by the wave of Republican victories in the midterm elections. First promoted by Virginia lawmakers and Tea Party groups, it has the support of legislative leaders in 12 states. It also won the backing of the incoming House majority leader, Representative Eric Cantor, when it was introduced this month in Congress.

Like any constitutional amendment, it faces enormous hurdles: it must be approved by both chambers of Congress — requiring them to agree, in this case, to check their own power — and then by three-quarters of, or 38, state legislatures.

Not only is this a terrible idea; it is unlikely to ever happen.

Sanford V. Levinson, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Texas, called the proposal “a really terrible idea” because it would give the same weight to small states as it would to large ones, allowing those with a relatively small proportion of the national population to have outsize influence.

“There’s not the slightest chance it would get through Congress” or be ratified by the states, he said. “You can bet the ranch that there are enough state legislators in the large states who will not consider it a good idea to reinforce the power of small parochial rural states in which most Americans do not live.”

While proponents of this measure say it’s not driven by any law, it appears as though health care reform has driven interest in it.

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Copyright 2010 Liberaland
By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.

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