Modifying the Government
The Constitution is sometimes characterized as a living document that can be refashioned for the needs of an evolving society. Part 4 looks at attempted amendments that failed—notably the Equal Rights Amendment—along with other modern proposals for amending the Constitution.
Finally, we scan the horizon of current political, economic, and social questions that present contemporary Constitutional issues and the possible implications in the years ahead. We look at not only discussions about amending the Constitution, including calls for the first Constitutional Convention since 1789, but also at controversies such as the constitutional crisis raised by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, which led members of the Republican majority in the Senate to vow not to consider a replacement appointment until after a new president is sworn in to succeed President Barack Obama in January 2017.