Opinion | Why dont we restore the Constitution so every election is not make or break?
In Williamsburg, each state was represented by one, two, or three commissioners. The overwhelming majority were state lawmakers, but some delegations included non-legislators involved in public affairs. For example, California was represented by John Eastman, a well-known constitutional law professor and former candidate for state attorney general.The agenda was fixed by the standard “convention of states” legislative application formally adopted by eight of the necessary 34 state legislatures. That application empowers the convention to propose amendments imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and fixing term limits for members of Congress and for federal officials.
The rules for the simulation were based on rules earlier drafted for a real convention. I drafted both sets, with input from Michael Farris, a noted constitutional attorney and educator. In crafting both sets of rules we relied heavily on the actual rules of previous conventions of states. The source for resolving issues outside the rules was Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure, the authority on parliamentary procedure for 70 of the 99 American state legislative chambers.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLumw9Joraikn6C1bq%2FOp6qpoaKWsLp71qlma2hha3xxhY5sZ2ivmK56pbvNrWSwnV2nsrTAzqucZqyYmnqku82sq6Kspam2sLqMrKZmnaaav7p5xKWcnKyZpLtutdJmpaisXaKurLGMqKlmmqKarqx7
Fernande Dalal
Update: 2024-08-22