Texas Governor Calls for Constitutional Amendments That Would Give States Power to Overturn Federal Law

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called for a constitutional convention of states Friday, pushing for nine new amendments to the U.S. Constitution — a move the governor dubbed "The Texas Plan," CNBC reported.

Referring to what he believes to be constitutional overreach by President Barack Obama, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court, Abbot told listeners the top priority of his proposed plan is to strengthen the 10th Amendment, which says "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

Abbott, a staunch opponent of the Obama administration, most recently taking to Twitter to challenge the president on his executive action on gun control, accused the federal government of exercising more power than intended by the country's founders.

"These increasingly frequent departures from constitutional principles are destroying the rule of law foundation on which this country as built," the Texas governor said. "We are succumbing to the caprice of man that our founders fought to escape."

Abbott's solution: give states the power to overturn federal law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings. Additionally, the governor says government agencies should be prohibited from creating federal law or preempting state legislation.

Abbott's office outlined the nine amendments of "The Texas Plan":

1. Prohibit Congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one State.
2. Require Congress to balance its budget.
3. Prohibit administrative agencies — and the unelected bureaucrats that staff them — from creating federal law.
4. Prohibit administrative agencies — and the unelected bureaucrats that staff them — from preempting state law.
5. Allow a two-thirds majority of the States to override a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
6. Require a seven-justice super-majority vote for U.S. Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law.
7. Restore the balance of power between the federal and state governments by limiting the former to the powers expressly delegated to it in the Constitution.
8. Give state officials the power to sue in federal court when federal officials overstep their bounds.
9. Allow a two-thirds majority of the States to override a federal law or regulation.

According to Abbott, a constitutional convention is the best solution to "fix the cracks in our broken Constitution."

"The cure to these problems will not come from Washington, D.C.," Abbott said. "They must come from the states."

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