Truth Trench Think Tank
Policy, Independence, Peace, Research
Today is Constitution Day. On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution in Philadelphia. The Framers knew they had not written a perfect document, so they built in a way to change it: Article V. They also made it deliberately difficult, so changes would require a broad …
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If the original Constitution built the federal government, the Fourteenth Amendment reshaped the relationship between Americans and their states. Ratified on July 9, 1868, after the Civil War, it is the longest and most litigated amendment in the Constitution. What Each Section Does Due …
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When Americans vote for President, they are technically choosing electors. Those electors cast the votes that decide the presidency. The Basics How States Award Electors Every state now chooses electors by popular vote. Forty-eight states and D.C. use winner-take-all: the candidate with …
Impeachment is one of the most misunderstood tools in the Constitution. It is not a criminal trial, and being impeached is not the same as being removed. The Text How It Works What Are "High Crimes and Misdemeanors"? The phrase is not defined in the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, …
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The President cannot staff the government or bind the nation to a treaty alone. Article II, Section 2 gives the President power to make treaties "by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur," and to nominate ambassadors, Supreme Court …
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Americans live under two governments at once, national and state, and the Constitution divides power between them on purpose. The Founders called this a "compound republic." James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 45 that the powers delegated to the federal government are "few and defined," while …
The judicial branch has no army and no budget of its own. Alexander Hamilton called it the "least dangerous" branch. Yet its decisions can reshape the entire government. What Article III Says Article III vests the judicial power in "one supreme Court" and in lower courts that Congress chooses …
Of all the powers the Constitution gives Congress, the power of the purse may be the most important. Article I, Section 9 states: "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law." The executive branch can spend only what Congress has approved, for the …
The Constitution was ratified without a bill of rights. Several states agreed to ratify only on the understanding that one would be added. James Madison drafted the amendments, the First Congress proposed twelve in 1789, and ten were ratified by December 15, 1791. Together they are the Bill of …
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Most of the federal rules that touch daily life were never voted on by Congress. Congress passes laws. Federal agencies then write the regulations that fill in the details, from workplace safety standards to how veterans' benefits are processed. These regulations carry the force of law. In a …
Continue Reading about How Federal Regulations Are Made, and How You Can Comment on One →
April 24, 2023 Every organization has an origin story. Truth Trench began with a simple idea: people should have better access to information, better tools for understanding the world around them, and a place where difficult subjects could be explored beyond headlines, sound bites, and partisan …
Continue Reading about The Origins of Truth Trench: Where the Mission Began →
