PHILADELPHIA, PA (September 18, 2025) — The National Constitution Center, America’s leading platform for nonpartisan constitutional education, today announced the launch of its new project, Article V: Amending the Constitution, a scholarly initiative examining Article V of the U.S. Constitution—the mechanism for amending the nation’s founding charter.
The project brings together four leading constitutional scholars representing diverse perspectives: Gerard Magliocca of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Sanford Levinson of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, Michael Rappaport of the University of San Diego School of Law, and Stephen Sachs of Harvard Law School. Each scholar has authored a report analyzing the history, challenges, and possible reforms of the amendment process, available on the National Constitution Center’s website, and together they will join in a public online America’s Town Hall program this fall.
“The founders viewed the right to amend the Constitution as an unalienable right,” said Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center. “By bringing together scholars from across the ideological spectrum, the National Constitution Center looks forward to inspiring learning and debate about the founders’ vision for amendment, how it has been used throughout American history, and how We the People continue to grapple with the question of constitutional change.”
About the Reports
Gerard Magliocca authored the project’s lead report that examines the founders’ vision for the Article V amendment process, how conventions were used before and during the founding era, the history of state petitions for a national constitution convention from 1789 to the present, and the use of state ratifying conventions to approve the 21st Amendment in 1933.
The project’s scholar contributors authored essays structured around Magliocca’s report, offering a response to the issues he raises and additional perspectives on the Article V amendment process and debates over constitutional change.
- Sanford Levinson explores the possibility of calling a new constitutional convention to alter the Constitution, a move that he strongly supports, highlights areas where he thinks that reform is necessary to ensure an effective framework for governance today, and suggests potential reforms.
- Michael Rappaport analyzes the central role that the convention method for proposing amendments was designed to play in the Article V amendment process, explores concerns that this approach to constitutional reform might lead to a “runaway convention,” and offers reform proposals that might provide safeguard against this perceived danger.
- Stephen Sachs explores the text and history of Article V, including the debates over the amendment process at the Constitutional Convention, connects the founders’ vision for Article V to the founding generation’s commitment to popular sovereignty, and offers a proposal to restore the centrality of the convention process by letting three fourths of states propose an amendment before two thirds of Congress would ratify it.
Together, the reports provide a comprehensive look at Article V from 1789 to the present, including the founders’ vision for the amendment process, the historical use of the amendment process over time, the tradeoffs of using constitutional conventions to push for constitutional reform, and the modern debates over constitutional reform today.
America’s Town Hall Conversation
The scholars will present their findings and engage in conversation during a forthcoming online America’s Town Hall program at the National Constitution Center this fall. The discussion will invite audiences nationwide to reflect on one of the Constitution’s most vital yet rarely invoked mechanisms: how We the People change the Constitution.
This project was made possible with the support of Democracy Restated.
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About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
