Citizen Advocates for Constitutional Principles

Citizen Advocates for Constitutional Principles

Constitutional Gems - # 649 – 12-11-06

Focusing on the Constitutional: Term Limits - George Sweeney

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. (US Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Clause 2)

In 1969 the Supreme Court in Powell v. McCormack decided that Congress did not have the Constitutional authority to alter the qualifications for House membership. After this ruling there was still the question if the states had that authority.

When the issue of Term Limits came up before the Supreme Court in United States Term Limits v. Thornton (1995) the court ruled that the qualifications were exclusive and could not be added to or altered. However, Justice Thomas, writing for the 4-person dissent, pointed to the 10th Amendment that any power not exclusively given to the Federal Government was reserved for the states.

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A Founders Quote - Donald Conkey

Jefferson embedded into the Declaration of Independence five foundational and directional word/phrases: “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God, Creator; unalienable Rights; the Supreme Judge of the World; and divine Providence;” clear precise words used to remind America its freedoms and liberties are founded upon the Rock of “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” and “directional” by directing America to the path they must follow to remain free.

Jefferson drew from Cicero’s (106-43 BC) writings that defined Natural Law as “true law [which] is right reason in agreement with nature; it is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting;” and strengthens Jefferson’s reference to Nature’s God with his phrase. . . “and there will be one master and ruler, that is God, over us all, for he is the author of this law, its promulgator, and its enforcing judge . . .” Powerful.

Source: Skousen’s 5000 Year Leap, p. 40

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