Article V: Amending the Constitution
Article V: Amending the Constitution brings together leading constitutional scholars with diverse viewpoints to examine Article V of the U.S. Constitution—the mechanism for amending our nation’s founding charter. Gerard Magliocca, Sanford Levinson, Michael Rappaport, and Stephen Sachs analyze the founder's vision for Article V and take a historical look at the use of the Article V process from 1789 to present, exploring the challenges of constitutional conventions for proposing constitutional amendments and potential reforms.
Report: Article V Constitutional Conventions
Gerard N. Magliocca of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law authored the project’s lead report provides a detailed review of the Constitution’s Article V and the amendment process to set the stage for scholarly debates on this subject.
Read ReportExecutive Summary Of Article V Convention Report
Gerard N. Magliocca summarizes his detailed review of the history and tradition of state legislative petitions for a second national constitutional convention and the use of state conventions to ratify constitutional amendments proposed by Congress.
Read SummaryReflections on the Possibility of a New Constitutional Convention
Sanford Levinson of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law argues that a new constitutional convention is needed because of flaws that comprise a clear and present danger to our collective future.
Read EssayThe Convention Method for Proposing Amendments: Essential, Misunderstood, and Broken
Michael B. Rappaport of the University of San Diego School of Law believes there are reforms of the convention method that would avoid the possibility of a runaway convention and provide a workable alternative, but they face considerable obstacles.
Read EssayRestoring Conventions, One Amendment at a Time
Stephen E. Sachs of Harvard Law School believes we should explore options for a “rolling” convention, one that needn’t meet at a single place at a single time but that nonetheless lets states begin the work of constitutional change.
Read EssayUpcoming Virtual Event
Amending the Constitution and the Article V Project
Wednesday, December 3 | Noon ET
Join the National Constitution Center for the launch of its Article V Project, a new initiative exploring the founders’ vision for Article V and an historical look at the use of the Article V process from 1789 to the present. Project contributors and constitutional law experts Gerard Magliocca, Sanford Levinson, Michael Rappaport, and Stephen Sachs explore the origins, debates, and ongoing challenges surrounding Article V, as presented in their new essays. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Special Feature
Interactive Constitution: Article V
Read the plain text of Article V, a common interpretation, and matters of debate over its meaning in our Interactive Constitution.
This project was made possible with the support of Democracy Restated.
