Can states rescind ratification?

Asked by: Denis Crooks DDS  |  Last update: February 12, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (1 votes)

The Constitution says nothing about a deadline for amending it.” In August 2024, the ABA passed a resolution that “a deadline for ratification of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is not consistent with Article V of the Constitution” and that states lacked the ability to rescind amendment ratifications.

Which states rescinded their ratification of the era?

Five states—Nebraska, Tennessee, Idaho, Kentucky, and South Dakota—voted to rescind their ratification in the 1970s, which has raised legal questions, with many legal scholars rejecting the validity of rescinding a ratification.

Can states reject amendments?

States can simply ignore a proposed amendment. There is no requirement to vote on it. In fact, this is the most common action—to ignore. That is why the ERA was not passed.

Can amendments be rescinded?

4 Obviously, once three-quarters of the state legislatures have unequivocally ratified an amendment and it has become effective as part of the Constitu- tion, it can only be repealed by the normal amending process prescribed in Article V.

Can a state constitutional amendment be overturned?

Judicial action

Court rulings can affect a state constitution's provisions. One way a court ruling can do this is when a federal court decides that an amendment to a state's constitution is in conflict with the U.S. Constitution and must therefore be removed from that state's constitution and declared null-and-void.

Dick Durbin Questions Witness On States Rescinding Ratification Of The Equal Rights Amendment

41 related questions found

Can a state rescind ratification of an amendment?

Ratification by three-fourths of the states.

Ratification of the amendment language adopted by Congress is an up-or-down vote in each legislative chamber. A state legislature cannot change the language. If it does, its ratification is invalid.

Can the Supreme Court overturn a state constitutional amendment?

No. The SCOTUS has the authority to decide what laws do and do not conflict with the Constitution and its amendments. The Supreme Court of the United States DOES NOT have any authority to amend, override, or change in ANY WAY, any part of the Constitution and its amendments.

How many amendments have been rescinded?

Although the Constitution has been formally amended 27 times, the Twenty-First Amendment (ratified in 1933) is the only one that repeals a previous amendment, namely, the Eighteenth Amendment (ratified in 1919), which prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.” In addition, it is the ...

Which states did not ratify the 14th amendment?

The three states that rejected the Amendment before later ratifying it were Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The two states that ratified the Amendment and later sought to rescind their ratifications were New Jersey and Ohio.

Have any amendments been nullified?

Since the Bill of Rights and the first 10 amendments passed in 1791, only 17 amendments have been added to the Constitution. And one of those, the 18th Amendment establishing Prohibition, was repealed.

What are the six unratified amendments?

These unratified amendments address the size of the U.S. House (1789), foreign titles of nobility (1810), slavery (1861), child labor (1924), equal rights for women (1972), and representation for the District of Columbia (1978).

What states never ratified the 16th amendment?

Seven states (Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia) did not ratify the amendment, and it was reported as such. Two states (Kentucky and Tennessee) did not ratify the amendment, but Secretary Knox reported that they did.

Which states had their attempts to withdraw ratification upheld?

Five states – Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, and South Dakota – attempted to rescind or withdraw their approval of the Equal Rights Amendment before the 1982 deadline. In 2021 the North Dakota legislature adopted a resolution saying that its ratification of the ERA lapsed in 1979.

Why is the ERA still not ratified?

An original seven-year deadline was later extended by Congress to June 30, 1982. When this deadline expired, only 35 of the necessary 38 states (the constitutionally required three-fourths) had ratified the amendment. The ERA is therefore not yet a part of the U.S. Constitution.

What was the last state to be ratified?

It was not until May 29, 1790, that the last state, Rhode Island, finally ratified the Constitution.

Can a state withdraw ratification?

Article V of the Constitution speaks only to the states' power to ratify an amendment but not to the power to rescind a ratification.

Which 3 states did not ratify the Constitution?

The Constitution encountered stiff opposition. The vote was 187 to 168 in Massachusetts, 57 to 47 in New Hampshire, 30 to 27 in New York, and 89 to 79 in Virginia. Two states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, refused to ratify the new plan of government.

What was the last state to ratify the 13th Amendment?

On March 16th of the next year, the Mississippi legislature reached a largely symbolic vote to unanimously ratify the abolition of slavery in the U.S.—becoming the last of the eligible states to do so.

Can a President overturn an amendment?

Therefore, the Court appears to have adopted the view that the President cannot veto a proposed amendment.

Is drinking alcohol a constitutional right?

The 21st Amendment to the Constitution gives the “rights” concerning alcohol beverages, not to the federal government nor to the individuals, but to the states. It is the only express grant of authority given exclusively to the states.

How many states voted to rescind their original vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment?

Though Congress voted to extend the ratification deadline by an additional three years, no new states signed on. Complicating matters further, lawmakers in five states — Nebraska, Tennessee, Idaho, Kentucky, and South Dakota — voted to rescind their earlier support.

Can states ignore amendments?

Therefore, the power to make final decisions about the constitutionality of federal laws lies with the federal courts, not the states, and the states do not have the power to nullify federal laws.

Can the president overthrow a Supreme Court decision?

When the Supreme Court rules on a constitutional issue, that judgment is virtually final; its decisions can be altered only by the rarely used procedure of constitutional amendment or by a new ruling of the Court. However, when the Court interprets a statute, new legislative action can be taken.

Which is the most powerful Supreme Court in the world?

The Indian Supreme Court has been called “the most powerful court in the world” for its wide jurisdiction, its expansive understanding of its own powers, and the billion plus people under its authority.