A Concurrent Resolution calling for a convention under Article V of the Constitution of the United States to consider amendments to establish a process by which the appointment of United States Suprem . . .e Court Justices can occur at regular time intervals and limit how long a Justice may serve on the Court.
Summary
House Resolution 112 is a concurrent resolution that would have Pennsylvania apply to Congress under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to call a limited convention of the states. The convention would be restricted to considering a constitutional amendment that would create regular intervals for appointing U.S. Supreme Court Justices and would limit the length of time a Justice may serve on the Court. The resolution states that Pennsylvania’s application is intended to be part of a broader multi-state effort on the same subject and that it does not itself approve any eventual amendment.
The resolution also directs the Secretary of the Commonwealth to send copies of the application to federal congressional leaders, Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, and the presiding officers of other state legislatures. It further provides that the application should be treated as a continuing application until two-thirds of the states have made similar applications on the same topic, and that it may not be combined with applications addressing other subjects.
Impact
If adopted, the resolution would not directly change Pennsylvania statutes or state regulatory law; instead, it would place the Commonwealth on record as seeking an Article V convention limited to Supreme Court term limits and regular appointment intervals. Its practical legal effect would be to add Pennsylvania to the pool of state applications Congress may count toward the constitutional threshold for calling a convention on this issue, while expressly limiting aggregation to this single subject and preserving the legislature’s ability to reject any future proposal from a convention.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the resolution appears to be framed in a procedural and bipartisan tone, emphasizing state authority, formal process, and limited scope. The sponsor’s findings suggest support for using Article V as a mechanism to address concerns about the Supreme Court, but there is no available voting history or transcript evidence showing broader support or opposition. Overall sentiment cannot be measured from recorded debate, but the language is clearly affirmative toward the concept of a limited convention.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the use of an Article V convention itself, which can raise concerns about constitutional uncertainty, the scope of a convention, and whether states can reliably limit the subject matter. A second likely point of debate is the underlying policy goal of Supreme Court term limits and regular appointment intervals, which would affect the structure and independence of the federal judiciary. The resolution attempts to address these concerns by repeatedly stating that the convention would be limited to one subject and that Pennsylvania would not be bound to approve any resulting amendment.
A Concurrent Resolution calling for a convention under Article V of the Constitution of the United States to consider amendments that limit the number of terms that members of Congress may serve and establish and limit the terms of office for United States Supreme Court Justices.
A Concurrent Resolution calling for a convention under Article V of the Constitution of the United States to consider amendments that limit the number of terms that members of Congress may serve.
JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING SEPARATE APPLICATIONS TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES CALLING ARTICLE V CONVENTIONS TO PROPOSE AMENDMENTS ESTABLISHING TERM LIMITS FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND TERM LIMITS FOR JUSTICES OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
Applying to the United States Congress under Article V of the United States Constitution to call for a convention proposing an amendment to the constitution fixing the number of justices of the United States Supreme Court at one chief justice and eight associate justices.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION calling on the United States Congress to submit to the states for ratification a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution and making a formal application to Congress under Article V of the United States Constitution to call a convention for the sole purpose of proposing for ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution which requires a balanced federal budget.
Applying to the United States Congress under Article V of the United States Constitution to call for a convention for proposing an amendment to the constitution establishing congressional term limits.