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Constitutional Law Keyed to Rotunda
U.S Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton
Citation:
514 U.S. 779 (1995)Facts
In 1992, the voters of Arkansas adopted amendment to their State Constitution. The amendment limited terms of elected officials within the Arkansas state government and any person who served two or more terms as a member of the Senate from Arkansas would be ineligible for re-election as a U.S Senator from Arkansas. The constitutionality of the amendment depends critically on the resolution of two distinct issues. The first is whether the Constitution forbids States from adding to or altering the qualifications specifically enumerated in the Constitution. The second is, if the Constitution does so forbid, whether the fact that the amendment is formulated as a ballot access restriction rather than as an outright disqualification is of constitutional significance.
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