Can you amend an amendment

A retired federal judge, Malcolm R. Wilkey, called a few years ago for a new convention. But Richard C. Leone, president of the New York-based Twentieth Century Fund, a nonpartisan research group, says recent efforts to amend the Constitution go too far. His organization hopes to balance the argument by publishing The New Federalist Papers, taking the name from the original Federalist Papers which were written to promote ratification of the Constitution.

Polsby, the Northwestern law professor, said the number of proposed amendments is not uncommon. But he agreed that political fixes do not necessarily belong in the Constitution - with Prohibition being the prime example. See also amended complaint and amended pleading. Please help us improve our site! No thank you. LII Wex Amend. Ratification of the amendment language adopted by Congress is an up-or-down vote in each legislative chamber. A state legislature cannot change the language. If it does, its ratification is invalid.

Step 4. Tracking state actions. Proposed amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states in order to take effect.

Congress may set a time limit for state action. Legislatures must return specific materials to show proof of ratification. Step 5.

When the requisite number of states ratify a proposed amendment, the archivist of the United States proclaims it as a new amendment to the U.

Actual certification is published immediately in the Federal Register and eventually in the United States Statutes-at-Large. State legislatures often call upon Congress to propose constitutional amendments. While these calls may bring some political pressure to bear, Congress is under no constitutional obligation to respond. The U. Constitution does not contain a provision requiring Congress to submit a proposed amendment upon request by some requisite number of states.