It still comes as a surprise to most Americans to learn that our state legislatures have the explicit Constitutional authority to amend the US Constitution without the permission or approval of Congress, the President, or the Supreme Court. But it’s true.
Article V of the Constitution specifies two distinct approaches to amending the Constitution. Stated simply:
In the first approach, Congress proposes amendments and the states dispose of them through ratification or rejection.
In the second approach, the states both propose and ...