Last week, the legislatures of Wisconsin and Nebraska voted to open up the U.S. Constitution to radical revisions that could obliterate the God-given freedoms that it guarantees.
In Wisconsin, the state Senate voted 17-16 on January 25 in favor of AJR 9. This resolution follows the wording of Mark Meckler’s vaguely-worded Convention of States Project, or COS Project, application urging Congress to call a convention to propose amendments “that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”
The state Assembly previously voted 58-36 in favor of the resolution, so with the Senate’s approval, AJR 9 is fully enacted. As The New American had previously reported, Wisconsin had been a battleground in the debate over whether to change or enforce the U.S. Constitution.
Additionally, the Wisconsin Senate voted 18-14 in favor of SJR 58, which applies to Congress to call a convention to propose an amendment limiting the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices at nine. However, not only does this resolution also risk a radical rewriting of the Constitution — as does any Article V convention — but it ignores real solutions to the Supreme Court’s decades-long usurpation of power. The myth of “judicial supremacy” — which is mentioned nowhere in the Constitution — is the reason why the Supreme Court’s size is even being debated in the first place. Rather than engaging in these debates, state legislators must treat the Supreme Court like the coequal branch of government that it is and nullify any unconstitutional rulings it hands down.
In Nebraska, the Legislature voted 32-11 on January 28 in favor of LR 14, which also follows the wording of Meckler’s COS application. Nebraska has a unicameral legislature, and with its final vote in favor, LR 14 is fully enacted.
The Nebraska Legislature had been considering this resolution since the beginning of 2021. The sponsor, Senator Steve Halloran (R-Hastings), formally chose the COS resolution as his priority legislation (prioritizing a nullification bill such as LB 188, to nullify federal gun control, would have been a much better use of energy). LR 14 passed after Halloran amended his resolution to have it be rescinded in 2027.
Dangers of a Con-Con
Any Article V constitutional convention could lead to a runaway convention that would reverse many of the Constitution’s limitations on government power and interference. In other words, a Con-Con could accomplish the same goals that many of its advocates claim to be fighting against. As evidence, a 2016 COS-organized controlled simulation resulted in amendments massively increasing the size, scope, and constitutional powers of the federal government. This was despite 97 percent of the delegates — handpicked by COS — being Republican state legislators.
Revealingly, COS President Meckler has worked with multiple leftists, including 2008 Obama advisor and 2013 Bilderberg attendee Laurence Lessig, to promote an Article V convention. Meanwhile, Robert P. George, a member of COS’s legal advisory board, recently co-authored a proposed replacement constitution that would obliterate Second-Amendment protections, among other anti-liberty changes.
The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia understood the danger of a constitutional convention. While he voiced support for one at a 1979 event, the justice had reversed his opinion by 2014 due to the uncertainty of what could come out of it. In 2015, Scalia reiterated his opposition to an Article V convention, stating “this is not a good century to write a constitution.” In addition to Scalia, George Washington and some of the other founding fathers opposed holding a second constitutional convention.
Although the Wisconsin and Nebraska legislatures opened the door to a radical revision of the Constitution, patriots must not lose hope nor be deterred — instead, constitutionalists must double down in educating legislators and fellow citizens. First, we must urge our legislators to rescind all existing Con-Con applications. Second, as The John Birch Society has been saying for decades, education is the solution — we must continually educate our legislators about the dangers of a Con-Con and effective alternatives like nullification.
As Robert Welch wrote, “education is our total strategy, and truth is our only weapon.”
To urge your state legislators to oppose resolutions applying for an Article V Con-Con, visit The John Birch Society’s legislative alert here.
