We are defending the Constitution from special interests.
Nothing is more important than protecting every American’s constitutional rights and civil liberties.
That’s why Common Cause is leading a large coalition of organizations aimed at stopping a dangerous call for an Article V constitutional convention.
This is a big deal. Big. Here’s why:
Since there are no rules for how a convention would work, or how to limit it to one issue, any constitutional right or civil liberty could be up for grabs, including recent and past Supreme Court rulings around marriage and abortion, First Amendment rights, immigration and citizenship laws, and separation of church and state.
Make no mistake about it: wealthy special interests are trying to game the system by pushing for an Article V convention that could undermine the will of We The People.
There are big donors and wealthy special interests, like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), behind the push for an Article V constitutional convention. From limiting the power of the federal judiciary to restraining the federal budget, wealthy special interests are trying to push an extreme, partisan agenda with a run-around Congress and our constitutional process by calling for an Article V convention.
We have the expertise, the nonpartisan reputation, and the grassroots power to fight back.
Our Work in Action:
Common Cause Education Fund and American Constitution Society will release a jointly authored report providing opinions from numerous legal scholars, constitutional experts, historians about the political and legal questions surrounding an Article V convention.
But we’ve already started the urgent work to quash or prevent a constitutional convention.
Our work in 2020 will focus on:
- Educating the public, legislators, and the press about this threat
- Organizing national and state partners from across the political spectrum
- Watchdogging pro-convention groups
- Laying the groundwork for future campaigns
- Uplifting legal scholars’ warnings about calling a convention