Why is the US Constitution so hard to amend? - Peter Paccone

譯者: Helen Lin 審譯者: Max Chern

When it was ratified in 1789,

當在 1789 年被批准時，

the U.S. Constitution didn't just institute a government by the people.

美國憲法不只是制定一個民治政體，

It provided a way for the people to alter the constitution itself.

它也提供人民方法 可以修改憲法本身。

And yet, of the nearly 11,000 amendments proposed in the centuries since,

然而數世紀以來， 將近 11,000 件提出的修正案，

only 27 have succeeded as of 2016.

截至 2016 年，只有 27 件獲得成功。

So what is it that makes the Constitution so hard to change?

到底是什麼使憲法如此難以改變？

In short, its creators.

簡言之，是它的創設者。

The founders of the United States were trying to create a unified country

美國創立者試圖將十三個不同殖民地 統一成一個國家，

from thirteen different colonies,

which needed assurance that their agreements couldn't be easily undone.

這須要確保他們的協定 不能輕易地被毀。

So here's what they decided.

以下就是他們所做的決定，

For an amendment to even be proposed,

光是要提出一件修正案，

it must receive a two-thirds vote of approval

就須在國會的參眾兩院 獲得 2/3 投票同意，

in both houses of Congress,

or a request from two-thirds of state legislatures

或是來自 2/3 州議會的請求 召開全國會議，

to call a national convention,

and that's just the first step.

而這只是第一步。

To actually change the Constitution,

要真正修改憲法，

the amendment must be ratified by three-quarters of all states.

修正案必須得到全部州的 3/4 認可，

To do this, each state can either have its legislature vote on the amendment,

要做到這點， 各州可在其議會投票表決這修正案，

or it can hold a separate ratification convention

或是由選民選出代表 舉行各州的批准大會。

with delegates elected by voters.

The result of such high thresholds

這種高門檻的結果

is that, today, the American Constitution is quite static.

致使今日美國憲法呈停滯不變。

Most other democracies pass amendments every couple of years.

大多數其他民主國家 每隔幾年就會通過修正案，

The U.S., on the other hand, hasn't passed one since 1992.

反過來看，美國從 1992 年起 未通過任何一案。

At this point, you may wonder how any amendments managed to pass at all.

此刻，你可能會訝異 修正案到底怎麼通過的。

The first ten, known as the Bill of Rights,

前十個修正案，所謂的 權利法案（the Bill of Rights），

includes some of America's most well-known freedoms,

包括一些美國最著名的自由 ──

such as the freedom of speech,

例如言論自由

and the right to a fair trial.

及公平審判的權利。

These were passed all at once

這些同時一起通過，

to resolve some conflicts from the original Constitutional Convention.

以解決一些源自最初制憲會議的衝突。

Years later, the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery,

數年後，第十三修正案 ── 廢除奴隸制度，

as well as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments,

以及第十四與第十五修正案

only passed after a bloody civil war.

是經過血腥內戰後才通過。

Ratifying amendments has also become harder

當國家愈來愈大且更複雜時， 批准修正案也變得愈困難。

as the country has grown larger and more diverse.

The first ever proposed amendment,

第一件提出的修正案 ──

a formula to assign congressional representatives,

選派國會代表的規則，

was on the verge of ratification in the 1790s.

於 1790 年代接近批准的邊緣，

However, as more and more states joined the union,

然而，當愈來愈多的州加入聯邦，

the number needed to reach the three-quarter mark increased as well,

達到 3/4 門檻需要的數目也增加，

leaving it unratified to this day.

讓它至今仍未獲批准。

Today, there are many suggested amendments,

今天，有許多 建議修正案 (suggested amendments)，

including outlawing the burning of the flag,

包括禁止焚燒國旗、

limiting congressional terms,

限制國會任期

or even repealing the Second Amendment.

或甚至廢除 美國憲法第二修正案。

While many enjoy strong support, their likelihood of passing is slim.

有許多案雖獲得有力支持， 但通過的可能性極小。

Americans today are the most politically polarized since the Civil War,

自內戰以來， 今日的美國人呈政治極端兩極化，

making it nearly impossible to reach a broad consensus.

使得幾乎不可能達成廣泛的共識。

In fact, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

事實上，前任最高法院大法官 安東寧•斯卡利亞

once calculated that due to America's representative system of government,

曾經計算過 由於美國的「代表制」的政府體制，

it could take as little as 2% of the total population to block an amendment.

少到只需 2% 的人口數 就能凍結一件修正案。

Of course, the simplest solution would be to make the Constitution easier to amend

當然，最簡單的方法 就是讓憲法較易修正，

by lowering the thresholds required for proposal and ratification.

即降低提案與批准所需的門檻，

That, however, would require its own amendment.

但那先需要「降低修憲門檻」的修正案。

Instead, historical progress has mainly come from the U.S. Supreme Court,

然而，歷史性的進展 主要來自美國最高法院，

which has expanded its interpretation of existing constitutional laws

它已擴大它對現行憲法的解讀，

to keep up with the times.

以跟上時代腳步。

Considering that Supreme Court justices are unelected

不過考慮到 最高法院大法官並非民選，

and serve for life once appointed,

且一旦任命即為終身任職，

this is far from the most democratic option.

這完全不是最民主的選擇。

Interestingly, the founders themselves may have foreseen this problem early on.

有趣的是創立者他們自己 可能很早就預見這個問題，

In a letter to James Madison,

一封給 詹姆斯•麥迪遜 的信，

Thomas Jefferson wrote that laws should expire every 19 years

湯瑪斯•傑佛遜寫道 法律每 19 年就應該失效，

rather than having to be changed or repealed

而不是被修改或廢止。

since every political process is full of obstacles

因為每一個政治程序都充滿障礙，

that distort the will of the people.

致使扭曲人們的意願。

Although he believed

縱然他相信

that the basic principles of the Constitution would endure,

憲法的基本原則會永存，

he stressed that the Earth belongs to the living,

他強調地球是屬於活著的人，

and not to the dead.

而不是已逝去者。

翻譯：Helen Lin