Constitutional Law

How Scalia and Ginsburg would amend the Constitution

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Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg offered their views Thursday on how they would amend the Constitution, if given the chance.

Ginsburg said she would pass the Equal Rights Amendment while Scalia said he would change the amendments provision to make amendments easier, report Legal Times and the Washington Whispers page of U.S. News & World Report. They spoke at the National Press Club in a session moderated by Marvin Kalb.

Ginsburg said a constitutional safeguard is important because legislation giving equal rights to women can be repealed. “So I would like my granddaughters, when they pick up the Constitution, to see that notion—that women and men are persons of equal stature—I’d like them to see that is a basic principle of our society.”

Scalia said fewer than 2 percent of the population could prevent enactment of a constitutional amendment. “It ought to be hard, but not that hard,” he said. But he does not favor holding a constitutional convention. “Whoa! Who knows what would come out of it?” Scalia said.

Hat tip to How Appealing.

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