What is a constitutional convention?
Those who are pushing for an Article V convention, or a Convention of States, who refuse to call it a Constitutional Convention are either being intentionally deceptive, or are themselves deceived.
According to Black’s Law Dictionary, a constitutional convention is:
“A duly constituted assembly of delegates or representatives of the people of a state or nation for the purpose of framing, revising, OR amending its constitution. Art. V of U.S. Const. provides that a Constitutional Convention may be called on the application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the states.”
A convention for any of those purposes is defined as a constitutional convention. And of course, definitions are created by common usage.
For many years, those promoting a convention had no problem referring to it as a constitutional convention.
In 1983, during the last big push for a convention, we were two states away from the 34 state applications needed for a convention.
But as opposition grew, states began to rescind their applications. At the time it became commonly known that a “constitutional convention” was a dangerous idea.
In 2011, Robert Natelson, a prominent leader in the article v convention movement, announced, “I am going to put our concept on reset,” suggesting that they no longer use the term “constitutional convention” to sell their scheme to change the Constitution.
This, in reality, had nothing to do with the definition of the term. Rather, it was a re-branding effort to separate today’s movement from the stigma of the thoroughly defeated and discredited constitutional convention movement of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Be not deceived. What they were pushing for then under the name of a constitutional convention, and what they are pushing for now under any name but a constitutional convention, is really the same thing! A convention for “framing, revising, or amending its constitution.”
Learn more about Article V and the amendment process by visiting JBS.org.
November 16, 2023