Tag: amendments
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Constitutional Amendment 24
I would guess that poll taxes made more sense before the government adopted income taxes but because poll taxes could be abused (and were being abused) the nation used the 24th Amendment to end the practice of poll taxes and to make failure to pay taxes insufficient reason to deny the right to vote. The…
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Constitutional Amendment 23
Reacting to changes in society that the founders could not have anticipated, the 23rd Amendment provided representation in the electoral college to residents of Washington D.C. in presidential elections. The District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of…
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Constitutional Amendment 22
Off and on in various circles the idea of mandating term limits for various elected officials is discussed with varying degrees of interest. I wonder if many of these discussions would exist in the absence of the 22nd Amendment. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no…
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Constitutional Amendment 21
Closely tied to the Eighteenth Amendment (because it repeals it) the Twenty-First Amendment serves to validate the value and proper use of the amendment process. Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of…
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Constitutional Amendment 20
The 20th Amendment is essentially a technical correction to the Constitution specifying a new ending time for terms of office and also a standard procedure for filling the presidency in case of unforeseen circumstances (such as the death of a president-elect). Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon…
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Constitutional Amendment 19
Some amendments are so obvious now that they need no comment. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any States on account of sex. Some states had allowed women to vote long before 1920 and been stopped by the federal…
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Securing Liberty
photo credit: Brian Wilson Photography I got a complaint on facebook over a statement I made that later amendments take legal precedence over earlier ones where both conflictingly address the same point of law. Here was the complaint: I have a problem with the rationalization . . . that a later amendment takes precedence over…
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Constitutional Amendment 18
The Eighteenth Amendment is a great example of constitutional law. After one year from the ratification of this article, the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. I…
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Bad Year for Liberty
photo credit: Leo Reynolds I consider 1913 to be a very bad year for liberty because in that year the 16th and 17th amendments were both passed. Each of these amendments is a lever that loosened the moorings that had limited the power of the federal government for 126 years to that point. It’s true…
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Constitutional Amendment 17
Following close on the heels of the sixteenth amendment (both in terms of time and impact) comes what may well be the second most fundamental alteration to the public perception and operation of our government through the Seventeenth Amendment. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each State, elected…