ACS Condemns Donald Trump’s Calling for the “Termination” of the Constitution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nancy Rodriguez, media@acslaw.org

Washington, DC — American Constitution Society President Russ Feingold released the following statement in response to Donald Trump, Republican candidate for president, calling for the “termination” of the Constitution.

“Our Constitution is the bedrock of our democracy. To call for its termination, as Donald Trump did, is to blatantly call for the overthrow of our democracy and the installation of authoritarianism. This threat must not be viewed in isolation, but rather as an extension of the ongoing effort by factions of the Right to radically rewrite the Constitution through an Article V Convention and make permanent one-party rule. Right now, there is legislation before the House to convene such a Convention and send this country into a constitutional crisis.

This is all part of the ongoing struggle between democracy and authoritarianism at home and abroad. Recent years have seen resurging efforts to quash democracy here in the United States, from January 6^th to promulgation of the Big Lie, to the efforts underway to rewrite or replace the Constitution – all in defiance of We the People. This combined existential threat to the will of the people must be taken seriously. Any effort to downplay or dismiss this threat lends it momentum.

The American Constitution Society condemns Donald Trump’s statement in its entirety and affirms its commitment to sounding the alarm about a constitutional crisis in this country.”

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AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
ACS believes that the Constitution is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We interpret the Constitution based on its text and against the backdrop of history and lived experience. Through a diverse nationwide network of progressive lawyers, law students, judges, scholars, and many others, we work to uphold the Constitution in the 21st Century by ensuring that law is a force for protecting our democracy and the public interest and for improving people’s lives. For more information, visit us at www.acslaw.org or on Twitter @acslaw.