US Constitution

Read the latest US Constitution news and the Bill of Rights on Newser.com

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Democrat Wants House to Rule Out Third Term for Trump

President-elect again suggested remaining in office

(Newser) - President-elect Trump got a laugh out of House Republicans on Wednesday when he hinted to them about running for a third term, but a Democratic member didn't see the humor. So New York Rep. Dan Goldman said he'll introduce a resolution Thursday spelling out that the two-term limit...

Rare Copy of Constitution in Filing Cabinet Sells for $9M

Document said to be the only privately owned copy of the US Constitution was printed 237 years ago

(Newser) - A rare copy of the US Constitution printed 237 years ago and sent to the states to be ratified was sold for $9 million at an auction Thursday evening in North Carolina. Brunk Auctions sold the document, the only copy of its type thought to be privately owned, at a...

Suggested 28th Amendment Focuses on a Terror Attack

Lawmakers say it must be easier to quickly fill 100 or more House vacancies

(Newser) - The Constitution has been amended 27 times, and a proposed 28th one has a sobering theme: A bipartisan group in Congress wants the nation to be better prepared for a mass casualty event in DC. The four have proposed what they call a "continuity amendment" that would allow members...

Just 8 of These Exist. We the People Can Now Bid on It

Minimum bid for rare 237-year-old copy of US Constitution found in NC filing cabinet: $1M

(Newser) - Historical document appraiser and collector Seth Kaller spreads a broadsheet of paper across a desk. It's in good enough condition that he can handle it, carefully, with clean, bare hands. There are just a few creases and tiny discolorations, even though it's just a few weeks shy of...

Gavin Newsom Proposes 28th Amendment

Governor wants to 'enshrine fundamental, broadly supported gun safety measures into law'

(Newser) - There hasn't been a new amendment to the United States Constitution since the 27th Amendment in 1992—and that one took more than 200 years to ratify—but California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing for a 28th to deal with gun violence. According to a statement from the Democratic...

That's Not What He Meant on Constitution, Trump Says

Pence criticizes statement by his former running mate

(Newser) - After drawing widespread condemnation over his call to sideline the Constitution , former President Donald Trump maintained Monday that that's not what he meant. "The Fake News is actually trying to convince the American People that I said I wanted to 'terminate' the Constitution. This is simply more...

Few in GOP Differ With Trump on Constitution

McCarthy and McConnell say nothing publicly

(Newser) - A few Republicans joined Democrats in denouncing former President Donald Trump's call for the "termination" of the Constitution , but none of them run the party's congressional delegations. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had not said anything publicly about the scheme to...

Trump Suggests Suspending the Constitution

He doubles down on election fraud claims as White House fires back at suggestion

(Newser) - When he announced his reelection campaign, Donald Trump eased up on allegations of a stolen election in his speech. The former president ramped things back up in a big way this weekend, with a series of Truth Social posts calling for the suspension of the Constitution.
  • Trump: “A Massive
...

'Van Sinderen Constitution' Could Sell for $30M

Early copy of founding document up for auction for first time since 1894

(Newser) - A group representing some 17,000 people who tried and failed to buy a rare copy of the US Constitution in a huge crowdfunding effort last year says it's "looking into" the upcoming auction of the only other early copy of the document held in private hands. About...

Also Not in Constitution: Court Having Final Say

Sotomayor pointed out that the justices grabbed onto the power of judicial review, Joshua Zeitz writes

(Newser) - When the Supreme Court was holding oral arguments last December in the case that brought about the end of Roe v. Wade, Justice Sonia Sotomayor addressed the familiar argument that the Constitution doesn't mention a right to privacy. That fact was a central argument in the court's majority...

It Was the 'Largest Crowdfunding Initiative' Ever. And It Failed

DAO with $46M in donations fails to purchase copy of US Constitution at auction

(Newser) - A group of cryptocurrency investors has failed to win a rare copy of the US Constitution despite pooling $46 million toward that goal in what Artnet News calls "the largest crowdfunding initiative of all time." An anonymous private collector purchased the first-edition copy of the Constitution, one of...

One of Only 11 Early Copies of Constitution Up for Auction

Sotheby's says it may fetch $20M

(Newser) - A very special birth certificate will be auctioned off later this year—a rare copy of the US Constitution. Sotheby's announced Friday (appropriately on Constitution Day) that in November it will put up for auction one of just 11 surviving copies of the Constitution from the official first printing...

Could Trump Pardon Himself? It May Hinge on Single Word
Could Trump Pardon Himself?
It May Hinge on Single Word
in case you missed it
Nov 29, 2020 10:25 AM CST

Could Trump Pardon Himself? It May Hinge on Single Word

That word is 'grant,' explains Eric L. Muller in the 'Atlantic'

(Newser) - Could President Trump pardon himself before he leaves office? He faces possible liability on bank and tax issues, and a former prosecutor in the Robert Mueller investigation makes the case in a New York Times op-ed that he should get hit with obstruction charges, too. A president, of course, can...

Trump: 25th Amendment Ploy Is About Biden, Not Me

President accuses Pelosi of plotting to replace Biden with Kamala Harris

(Newser) - House Democrats followed through on their promise to raise the profile of the 25th Amendment on Friday, introducing legislation that would create a 17-member panel to judge a president's fitness for the job. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a former professor of constitutional law, reintroduced a version of the...

Nancy Pelosi: This Is 'Absurdly Unconstitutional'
Nancy Pelosi: This Is
'Absurdly Unconstitutional'
the rundown
Aug 9, 2020 2:45 PM CDT

Nancy Pelosi: This Is 'Absurdly Unconstitutional'

The fight is on over Trump's executive orders

(Newser) - Trump's executive actions are a done deal, right? Well, maybe not. Democrats and White House officials say they're still open to negotiating as questions swirl around the constitutionality of Trump's dramatic move Saturday—signing four actions to provide coronavirus relief amid stalled congressional talks, the Hill reports....

Virginia Capitol Erupts in Cheers as ERA Wins Approval

State is the 38th to ratify, but there are complications

(Newser) - Vivian Watts has a photo taken 44 years ago of her demonstrating with her daughter for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. She's wearing a sash in the photo, and on Wednesday, the Virginia legislator wore that sash to work. "Forty-four years is a long time to wait,...

Fox Host Gets Rebuke Over Hijab Comments

Jeanine Pirro mused whether Rep. Ilhan Omar's headwear may be 'antithetical' to Constitution

(Newser) - Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar has been at the center of controversy over remarks she recently made that some call anti-Semitic, but a Fox News host's comments on Omar have themselves earned what CNN Business calls a "rare rebuke" from the network. On her program Saturday, Jeanine Pirro wondered...

Trump Has New Nickname for a Democrat

The president dismisses Rep. Adam Schiff

(Newser) - President Donald Trump is name-calling Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for saying Matthew Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general is unconstitutional, the AP reports. Trump says Schiff shouldn't complain that Whitaker wasn't confirmed by the Senate because neither was special counsel Robert Mueller, who's investigating 2016 election...

Conservatives Are Seeking Constitutional Amendments

Among their goals: repealing the 17th Amendment

(Newser) - Whatever success Republicans have amassed in taking control of all three branches of US government, and whatever fate awaits them as midterm elections near, some on the right are working to cement change by amending the Constitution, the AP reports. And to the mounting alarm of others on all parts...

Court: 'In God We Trust' on Money Is Constitutional

Satanist's lawsuit chucked out

(Newser) - A federal court has ruled that printing "In God We Trust" on US currency doesn't amount to a religious endorsement and therefore doesn't violate the US Constitution. The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reports the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago made the ruling in a...

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