SP10 submits two formal applications under Article V of the U.S. Constitution asking Congress to call constitutional conventions. The first seeks a convention to propose term limits for members of the U.S. House and Senate. The second seeks a separate convention to propose 18-year staggered term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices.
The Maine State Senate rejected SP10 on May 22, 2025 by a vote of 18 to 15 (a two-thirds majority of the Senate was required for the bill to pass). We have assigned pluses to the nays because term limits restrict the people’s right to choose their own representatives—and even more concerning is the call for an Article V “convention of the states.” Despite claims of limitation, such a convention could easily become a runaway convention with authority to rewrite or fundamentally alter the U.S. Constitution, endangering the very safeguards that restrain government power. Article V was designed to correct structural flaws, not fix the moral failings of elected officials who disregard their oaths. Rather than risk the Constitution itself, states should use their lawful authority under Article VI to enforce it as written and nullify unconstitutional federal acts. The true remedy for federal overreach is obedience to the Constitution—not revision of it.