Articles by James Caldwell

Constitutional FAQ Answer #163 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q163. “In Article IV section 4 it states ‘The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,’ however it never states what that means exactly....

Constitutional FAQ Answer #17 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q17. “Beyond the Bill of Rights, few Constitutional amendments have radically altered the American system of government. Slavery was actually abolished by warfare, rather than legislation. In...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #18 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q18. “I would like a short list of other countries which have used our Constitution as a blueprint for theirs.” A. I’ve read that all constitutions since ours was adopted have been...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #154 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q154. “I think that the citizens of the United States are under the assumption that the Federal government actually prints money, which is actually not a right that the federal government...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #155 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q155. “Who has more power, the Congress or the President?” A. Wow, such a small question with no small answer. It is a good question, though. Constitutionally speaking, the Congress is by...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #156 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q156. “The Constitution never says that women can’t vote. So why was the 19th Amendment necessary?” A. The problem wasn’t that the Constitution prevented women from voting itself. The...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #157 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q157. “Is it necessary for new states to ratify the US Constitution in order for admission?” A. When a state applies for admission, it is presumed that the very act of application signals...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #158 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q158. “If an attorney is an officer of the court — is it legal for attorneys to be members of Congress — since they would then be serving in both the judicial and legislative branches of...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #159 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q159. “Wikipedia says ‘The Electoral College elected Washington unanimously in 1789, and again in the 1792 election; he remains the only president to receive 100% of electoral votes.’ Yet...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #16 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q16. “I have been on the net for about an hour reading all I can find about informal changes which have occurred in the Constitution during the last 200 years. Which kind of change, formal or...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #149 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q149. “What are some of the weaknesses of the Constitution?” A. Of all the questions asked about the Constitution, this is actually one of the most common — the most frequently asked. The...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #15 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q15. “When the 26th amendment was being considered, why did the Congress settle on 18 as the minimum age? Why not 17 or 16?” A. To be sure, you’d have to check the Congressional Record to...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #150 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q150. “There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about ‘presidential signing statements.’ What are they and where are they in the Constitution?” A. A presidential signing statement...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #151 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q151. “Rudy Giuliani seems to be running for President in 2008. But in 2002, Giuliani was given an honorary knighthood by Elizabeth II. I’m wondering if this would place a restriction upon...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #152 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q152. “Why did the Convention take place in Philadelphia?” A. An excellent question. Of course, there was no Washington, D.C. at the time — that plot of land was mostly a swamp. But there...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #153 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q153. “A friend of a friend is trying to convince me that the United States’ three branches of government was modelled on the Holy Trinity of Christianity. Is there any truth to this?” A....

Constitutional FAQ Answer #142 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q142. “What was the first constitution of the United States?” A. Some teachers, thinking they can be tricky with their students, will ask this question. Don’t get me wrong, it is a good...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #143 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q143. “What are the duties of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?” A. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is only mentioned once in the Constitution. The mention indicates that the...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #144 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q144. “When changes are made to the Constitution, is anything added to the original document to show that something has been changed or is now being omitted?” A. The short answer is: No. The...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #145 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q145. “What kind of paper was the Constitution written on?” A. Urban legend is that the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights were written on hemp paper, hemp being...