Constitution

In his new book "No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States," legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky contends that it's high time to hold a new constitutional convention.

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday reaffirmed that abortion rights are protected by the state constitution, and that lawmakers seeking to restrict abortion must meet a high “strict scrutiny” test. It was a decision that cemented Kansas' role as a key abortion access point for patients across the broader region.

Senate Democrats staged an all-night talk-a-thon that continues into Tuesday afternoon, just days before the legislature is slated to adjourn for the year. They're hoping to block a Republican resolution raising the threshold for voters to approve initiative petitions like the upcoming abortion rights amendment.

For nearly 30 hours, the conservative faction has blocked a vote on Medicaid funding, demanding that the Missouri Senate passes an unrelated resolution making it harder to amend the constitution. The Federal Reimbursement Allowance accounts for roughly a third of the funding for the state Medicaid system.

Currently, a simple majority of votes is needed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment once it makes it onto the ballot. The proposed resolution would increase that threshold to both a simple majority of votes and the majority of Missouri’s eight congressional districts — but the bill also includes unrelated "ballot candy."

The two-page proposal states that beginning in the 2026 federal elections, a candidate running to represent a congressional district in Missouri may do so only if they live in that district. But it may violate the U.S. Constitution.

The Republican resolution would ask voters whether it should be harder to amend Missouri’s constitution through the initiative petition process. It comes as Missouri groups collect signatures for a ballot initiative protecting abortion rights.

Ballot initiatives are one way for voters to assert their power over the political whims of Missouri's state legislature or courts. They are often viewed as more stable and harder to undo.

Backers of the abortion legalization initiative need roughly 171,000 signatures by early May to make it onto the Missouri ballot. But even with a large amount of cash and enthusiasm, the campaign has a big barrier: Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly could make ballot measures much more difficult to pass.

Factional warfare marks passage of Republican priority as Freedom Caucus members denounce leadership for stripping out provisions labeled ‘ballot candy.’

Members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus have said passing a resolution that would make it harder to amend the state’s constitution is their top priority. Senate Democrats spent Monday and Tuesday filibustering the resolution.

A small band of far-right conservative state senators in Missouri has drawn the ire of even their fellow Republicans. Their goal is to make it even harder to change the state constitution for issues like protecting abortion rights. And they might succeed.