Showing posts with label democracy protection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label democracy protection. Show all posts

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Protect Democracy: Proposed 28th Amendment to End Corruption & Safeguard U.S. Elections

 

Proposed 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Title: The Democracy Protection & Anti-Corruption Amendment

Section 1: Presidential Election Reforms

  1. National Popular Vote Requirement

    • The President and Vice President shall be elected by national popular vote.

    • Penalty for Violation: Any attempt to subvert this system (e.g., rogue electors, state legislatures overriding votes) shall result in:

      • Immediate disqualification of the candidate from office.

      • Federal felony charges (up to 20 years in prison) for conspirators.

  2. Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) Mandate

    • All federal elections must use RCV.

    • Penalty for Violation: States refusing to implement RCV lose 10% of federal election funding per year until compliance.

Section 2: Presidential Accountability & Anti-Corruption

  1. Mandatory Tax Return & Financial Disclosure

    • Presidents, VPs, and candidates must release 10 years of tax returns.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • Automatic disqualification from ballot access.

      • Fines up to 50% of undisclosed income.

  2. Blind Trust Requirement

    • Presidents must place assets in a verified blind trust.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • Impeachable offense (fast-track impeachment process).

      • Forfeiture of ill-gotten gains (3x the value of corrupt profits).

  3. Ban on Self-Pardons & Corrupt Clemency

    • No pardons for self, family, co-conspirators, or election-related crimes.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • Any illegal pardon is void, and the recipient remains prosecutable.

      • President committing this violation is disqualified from future office and subject to criminal prosecution.

Section 3: Anti-Authoritarian Safeguards

  1. Insurrection & Election Subversion Disqualification

    • Anyone who incites, aids, or participates in insurrection is banned from federal/state office forever.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • 20-year federal prison sentence for attempting to bypass this ban.

      • Civil liability (victims of insurrection may sue for damages).

  2. Emergency Powers Reform

    • Emergency declarations expire in 30 days without congressional approval.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • Automatic termination of the emergency order.

      • Impeachment trigger for abuse of power.

Section 4: Media & Disinformation Accountability

  1. Fair Coverage Mandate for Broadcast Media

    • Must provide equal airtime to major candidates.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • Loss of FCC licensing for repeated offenses.

      • Fines up to 10% of annual revenue.

  2. Criminal Penalties for Election Lies

    • Knowingly spreading false claims to overturn elections is a felony.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • 1–10 years in prison + lifetime ban from public office.

      • Liable for defamation (victims can sue for damages).

Section 5: Judicial & DOJ Reforms

  1. Supreme Court Term Limits (18 years)

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • Justices refusing to step down lose salary, benefits, and voting power on the Court.

  2. DOJ Independence Shield

    • Politically motivated prosecutions are illegal.

    • Penalty for Violation:

      • Automatic removal of the AG or prosecutor involved.

      • Prison time (5–15 years) for weaponizing justice.

Section 6: Enforcement & Fast-Track Punishment

  1. Special Federal Tribunal for Amendment Violations

    • nonpartisan panel of judges handles cases, with no appeals to the Supreme Court.

    • Trials must conclude within 90 days.

  2. Whistleblower Rewards

    • Individuals exposing violations receive 10–30% of fines collected.

  3. Automatic Trigger for Congress

    • If the President violates this Amendment, Congress must vote on impeachment within 30 days.

    • Failure to vote results in immediate suspension of congressional salaries.

Sunday, June 8, 2025

How to Prevent Future Executive Overreach: Proposed Constitutional Amendments & Draft Bills

 

Why We Need New Safeguards

Recent news—highlighted concerns about presidents invoking emergency powers unchecked" constitutioncenter.org+15lawfaremedia.org+15constitutioncenter.org+15, and undermining judicial authority on key issues like “posse comitatus” —make clear that executive power can outgrow its Constitutional limits. Global democratic backsliding shows how quickly democracies unravel when no safeguards exist .

Implementing these amendments would:

  • Limit executives' emergency and executive order powers

  • Ensure judicial enforcement mechanisms remain strong

  • Add necessary checks, balances, and accountability tools


✍️ Proposed Constitutional Amendments

Power AreaNew Amendment Proposal
Presidential Emergency PowersEmergency Powers Safeguard: Requires Congress to approve any national emergency declaration within 30 days by 2/3 vote of Congress, or it automatically expires. Presidents cannot bypass existing law.
Executive Order LimitationExecutive Order Review Clause: All major federal executive orders must pass Congress within 90 days by 2/3 vote of Congress, or they automatically expire. Judges can review without bond or standing limits.
Presidential ImmunityNo One Above the Law Amendment: Clarifies no president is immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office after they leave office en.wikipedia.org+15theguardian.com+15ogles.house.gov+15arxiv.org+1thetimes.co.uk+1en.wikipedia.org+15constitutioncenter.org+15youtube.com+15people.com+1businessinsider.com+1.
Term Limits for JusticesJudicial Term Amendment: Supreme Court Justices serve non-renewable 18-year terms with binding ethics code .
Congressional Term LimitsCongressional Term-Limit Amendment: Senate – max two 6-year terms; House – max six 2-year terms per office .

🏛 Draft Bills for New Amendments

H.J.Res. 2025–1 (Emergency Powers Safeguard)

  • Requires any emergency declaration >30 days to have explicit Congressional approval by 2/3 vote of Congress.

H.J.Res. 2025–2 (Executive Order Review Clause)

  • Mandates that significant federal executive orders require congressional passage within 90 days by 2/3 vote of Congress ; judicial review unconditioned.

H.J.Res. 2025–3 (No One Above the Law Amendment)

  • Clarifies that the President retains no constitutional immunity from criminal prosecution post-presidency.

H.J.Res. 2025–4 (Judicial Term Amendment)

  • Changes Supreme Court tenure to single 18-year term, with binding code of conduct required.

H.J.Res. 2025–5 (Congressional Term Limit Amendment)

  • Institutes term limits for straight congressional service periods.


✅ Benefits of the Amendments


📰 Reference Page

  1. Abuse of emergency powers risk lawfaremedia.org

  2. Executive overreach examples (Trump DOJ firings) congress.gov+15democrats-appropriations.house.gov+15businessinsider.com+15

  3. Biden’s Supreme Court reform plan theguardian.com+3businessinsider.com+3people.com+3

  4. Term limits for justices and congressional service/popular support theguardian.com+4businessinsider.com+4thetimes.co.uk+4

  5. Risks seen in authoritarian regimes (Ortega, others) apnews.com