Articles by James Caldwell

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...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #146 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q146. “Your page on the Articles of Confederation says that there are no more confederations existing in the world. I beg to differ — Switzerland is a confederation.” A. There have not...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #147 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q147. “I read somewhere that Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed are depicted in the Supreme Court. Is this true? Does this violate the separation of church and state?” A. There is a frieze in the...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #148 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q148. “In class today, we learned that the Constitution had to be ratified by nine state conventions. Why conventions and not votes by the people and why not by the state legislatures?” A....

Constitutional FAQ Answer #135 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q135. “It was my understanding that the Constitution forbade its president to be a Roman Catholic, but after many years this was deleted because it was later deemed to be ‘politically...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #136 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q136. “Can the US declare war in order to free the people of the country? I heard this once but I don’t know if its true, or if it was what document did it came out of.” A. The Congress is...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #137 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q137. “I recently had a debate with a friend of mine. The question was what is required to repeal an Amendment to the Constitution. I told him I thought it would take two-thirds approval of...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #138 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q138. “In what instances is a ‘Supermajority’ required under the US Constitution?” A. The specific instances in which the US Constitution requires a super-majority are limited to:...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #139 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q139. “Why can’t I find anything about filibusters in the Constitution?” A. The short answer is because there is nothing there to find: the Constitution does not contemplate the filibuster...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #14 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q14. “I think that the right of eighteen-year-olds to vote must be repealed. Do you know anywhere I can find some information that would help me?” A. What is the basis of your argument?...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #140 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q140. “I heard on talk radio that Bill Clinton was planning to figure out a way to be President again. Is there any possible way this could happen?” A. The short answer is “No.” But...