One scholar thinks it's a good idea
Louis Seidman of Georgetown caused a stir when he wrote in the New York Times that the Constitution is outdated, and we should think about getting rid of it.
“I’ve got a simple idea. Let’s give up on the Constitution. We have to start making decisions for ourselves and stop deferring to an ancient and outdated document,” Seidman said to CBS.
The reaction to what Seidman had to say has been swift, and in many cases, hasn’t been kind.
“I’ve gotten well over 1,000 abusive emails and hundreds of abusive phone calls. A few of them have threatened physical violence,” Seidman told KTRH.
Seidman said he expected harsh reaction, but some of the reaction has been extreme.
“Freedom of expression means people have a right to say what’s on their mind, even if some of that stuff is ugly. One thing people don’t have the right to do is threaten physical violence,” Seidman said.
Constitutional Law professor Rocky Rhodes of the South Texas College of Law told KTRH that Seidman is barking up the wrong tree when he says we should abandon the Constitution.
“To say the Constitution should be relegated to the dust bin of history ignores the civic sacredness of the Constitution,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes isn’t surprised that some of the reaction has been harsh to Seidman’s comments.
“One thing about the Constitution is that it’s a lot more to the American people than just the words on the piece of paper. It’s the principles of the document that are so important,” Rhodes explained.
