A Continuing Legal Education Course
The Law of Article V
Welcome to CLE on the Law of Article V! Our course offers a comprehensive overview of the Constitution's process for state-initiated constitutional amendments. Our knowledgeable instructors will cover the history of interstate conventions and how they function, the text of Article V itself, and the caselaw that sheds further light on its meaning.
Constitutional Method
Article V of the Constitution provides two ways for amendments to be proposed: 1) By Congress, and 2) By a state-led convention upon application of 2/3s of the state legislatures."
The Course
1. Understanding the Text of Article V of the U.S. Constitution
2. The Convention Method for Proposing Amendments
a. Why It Was Included
b. How It Works
3. Procedural Safeguards
4. A History of Article V Litigation
5. 1787 Constitutional Convention
Article V
The Constitution provides for two modes of proposal: by Congress and by a temporary gathering the Constitution calls a “Convention for proposing Amendments.” Congress must call a convention for proposing amendments on “the Application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several States.”
Law, History and Practice
Learn details of how and why we already know the procedure of an Article V convention for proposing amendments. The U.S. Constitution provides little or no detail about many institutions and procedures it references; trial by jury, the writ of habeas corpus, bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, etc. Nevertheless, we know all about them because we have studied available sources, including the history, law, and practices of those who wrote and adopted the Constitution.