What is a constitutional amendment?

• A. An informal policy change by the executive
• B. A formal change or addition to the Constitution
• C. A judicial ruling
• D. A treaty with another country

Answer: (B)

A constitutional amendment is a formal change or addition to the Constitution. It isn’t something the president can simply declare or a court can merely interpret; it is a deliberate alteration to the document itself. Amendments follow a specific process: they are proposed, usually by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress (or by a national convention called for by two-thirds of the states), and then they must be ratified by three-fourths of the states before they become law. This distinguishes amendments from informal policy changes by the executive, which do not alter the Constitution; from judicial rulings, which interpret existing constitutional provisions; and from treaties, which are international agreements and do not, by themselves, amend the Constitution. Examples include the Bill of Rights and the 19th Amendment granting women the vote.