CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATIONS

The Fifteenth Amendment

August 28, 2026

RE: Illegal Gerrymandering

On May 7, 2026, the Tennessee state legislature enacted, and Tennessee’s Governor signed Tennessee House Bill 7003. The statute gerrymandered[1] Tennessee’s Congressional District 9, that had consisted almost entirely of Shelby County, Tennessee, and its county seat Memphis, into three new districts encompassing numerous other Tennessee counties stretching as far away as the suburbs of… Continue reading

Constitutional Law

The Fifteenth Amendment, The Right to Vote

ABOUT THIS SITE

In the case of Marbury v. Madison, Vol.5 U.S. Reports, p.137 (1803), the United States Supreme Court ruled that “a law repugnant to the constitution is void.” 5 U.S. at p.180. The Court based that ruling on arguments made by one of the original Constitution’s draftsmen, Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist Paper No.78 (published in 1788). Hamilton argued that the document he was then promoting to become the federal “Constitution” would require the “courts” . . . “to declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void.” In other words, Hamilton, and later the Supreme Court argued that whenever the text or the purpose of an ordinary statute irreconcilably contradicts the text or opposes the clear purpose of the Constitution, the Constitution must prevail and the subordinate statute must be declared void. Today, the Supreme Court no longer follows these original standards for the judicial review of the validity of statutory enactments. At this site, I offer my understanding of how they should apply to modern issues of Constitutional Law. Supporting and opposing comments are welcome here, as long as they are relevant and civil.

Dan D. Rhea

The Fifteenth Amendment

RE: Illegal Gerrymandering