The U.S. Constitution

Constitutional FAQ Answer #20 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q20. “How old must the VP be? If the VP is less than 35 and the President dies and the VP is sworn in as President, who determines if he is eligible for the office?” A. The age of the Vice...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #21 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q21. “Do you know of any writers of the Constitution? If you do please tell me some and what they did for it.” A. The Constitution was written by a committee over the course of several...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #22 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q22. “What is habeas corpus? What does a writ of habeas corpus do?” A. Habeas corpus is a pretty tricky legal concept. Its most common practical effect in U.S. law is that no person can be...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #23 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q23. “What are the conditions needed for a Constitutional Convention, and when was the last one held?” A. The Constitution itself has details about the calling of a Constitutional Convention,...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #160 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q160. “In some blog posts lately, I’ve heard that Hillary Clinton can’t be Secretary of State, but some other posts say she can be because of the Saxbe Fix. What’s this all about?” A....

Constitutional FAQ Answer #161 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q161. “Your site says that the Constitution has been changed 18 times, but there are 27 amendments. What gives?” A. There are, indeed, twenty-seven amendments to the Constitution. The first...

Constitutional FAQ Answer #162 | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>> Q162. “I was wondering if there is anywhere in the Constitution that says Congress cannot pass laws that don’t pertain to themselves. If this is some place else please let me know where to...

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...