Author: Rob Natelson

Rob Natelson is the Independence Institute’s Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence and heads the Institute’s Article V Information Center. He was a law professor for 25 years, serving at three different universities. Among other subjects, he taught Constitutional Law, Constitutional History, Advanced Constitutional Law, and First Amendment. He is also the Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Montana Policy Institute. Rob is especially known for his studies of the Constitution’s original meaning. His research has carried him to libraries throughout the United States and in Britain, including four months at Oxford. The results have included several break-though discoveries. Click here for more information about Rob

The Biden Presidency: The Worst in History?

Most Presidents near the bottom of survey lists are there principally because of a failure on one or two survey criteria . . . What is striking about the Biden presidency is its failure over a wide range of criteria.

The Lesson from Montana: Stop Judicial Usurpation Before It Becomes Too Late

Montana’s experience shows that when abuse of power begins, citizens must counteract it quickly. Failure to respond only makes the problem worse.

Some Constitutional Takeaways from the 2024 Presidential Election

From the standpoint of those who favor freedom and constitutional government, the new presidential administration will be better than the last, but lasting change will require adoption of constitutional amendments proposed by a convention of the states.

The Electoral College in Context

The Electoral College is a necessary part of a wider presidential election system, which in turn is the result of many factors, not just a few.

Busting the Myths About Article V Conventions

During the 1970s, a handful of liberal writers with privileged media access spread disinformation about the amendment process, apparently to protect an activist Supreme Court.

Insights into the Constitution from English Social History

Eighteenth Century social history helps us understand why the Constitution was written as it was.

How the New York Bill of Rights Helped Lead to the U.S. Bill of Rights

John Lansing, Jr. used the New York Bill of Rights as one basis for the proposed constitutional amendments drafted by James Madison.

Major Problems in Montana’s CI-128 (the Abortion Initiative)

CI-128, if enacted, could be used as a legal wedge for child mutilation and the invasion of women’s sports by biological males.

Direct Taxes and the Founders’ Originalism

If the Framers had believed the Constitution would be construed by any rules other than those then prevailing, they would have worded it very differently.