by Nick Tomboulides
In the 1995 case U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton, the Supreme Court ruled that term limits on Congress could only come by amendment to the Constitution. But that does not mean self-interested members of Congress are required to get the amendment enacted.
While initiating an amendment with Congress is one option, Article V of the Constitution also gives the American people a way to go around Congress and make important changes without their consent. This process is called the Article V Convention, and it is the basis for USTL’s newly-launched Term Limits Convention.
Citizens get the ball rolling on the Convention by asking their state legislatures to pass resolutions known as convention calls. When 34 states have called for the Term Limits Convention, Congress is mandated (they have no choice) to call the Convention itself. Any amendments the Convention proposes are ratified by the states rather than politicians in Washington.
The founding fathers who established the convention did so to give citizens a way to curb abuse of power in Congress. They knew that, if Congress alone had all the power of amendment, it would never happen. That would be akin to letting foxes guard the hen house.
The Convention strategy is reason for great hope, because it removes the number one weakness term limits advocates have faced: getting politicians to limit their own careers.
We are ready and able to employ the tools the founders gave us. Click here to sign the petition and get involved in the Term Limits Convention movement.