Massachusetts Rescinds Dangerous Article V Convention Calls
Boston, MA (November 19, 2025) – Following calls from reproductive rights, good government, and labor groups, the Massachusetts legislature moved today to protect all American’s constitutional rights by rescinding the state’s previous calls for an Article V constitutional convention.
“Massachusetts has long led the nation in protecting reproductive freedom — from codifying abortion rights to passing the strongest shield law in the country. Yet, an outdated and out-of-touch resolution calling for a constitutional convention to ban abortion nationwide threatens to stain this legacy,” said Claire Teylouni, Interim Co-Executive Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “Rescinding this antiquated resolution—and all those calling for an Article V Convention—ensures our Commonwealth is not tied to an anti-abortion agenda that fails to reflect who we are and protects both our values and our rights from being undermined at the national level.”
“A convention of states would hand the keys to our democracy over to a few wealthy, unelected special interests,” said Geoff Foster, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “Thanks to House Assistant Majority Leader Peisch and Senate Majority Leader Creem, the legislature has built a vital firewall by rescinding all prior Massachusetts applications. Their timely action makes clear that any attempt to twist the Constitution for partisan gain won’t be done in our name.”
"The League of Women Voters strongly opposes any call for an Article V constitutional convention unless and until Congress passes legislation to govern how such a convention would proceed. Right now, we don't know how delegates would be chosen and how many delegates there would be, if voting would be by state or by population, if the convention could be limited to specified topics or could consider anything, and many more crucial guidelines. We therefore celebrate the state legislature passing this joint rescission resolution to prevent Massachusetts from being counted toward a call for a convention," said Celia Canavan, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.
"We can’t afford to gamble with the constitutional bedrock that guarantees fair pay, safe workplaces, and the right to organize," says Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
"The U.S. Constitution is our nation's most precious resource, and we should not toy with it," said Carol Rose, executive director at the ACLU of Massachusetts. "Without rules and guidelines firmly established by Congress, a convention of states could lead to utter chaos, including the weakening of our civil rights and civil liberties. This is an unacceptable risk, especially when our national politics are so fractious. As a non-partisan organization with over a century of experience defending our most cherished freedoms, the ACLU of Massachusetts strongly supports the rescission of our Commonwealth's outdated Article V applications and the preservation of our constitutional order."
The joint initiative responds to concerns that Congress and the Trump Administration can use prior Massachusetts resolutions calling for an Article V constitutional convention to advance their own political agenda. This could have broad and sweeping implications on our current protections under the U.S. Constitution.
An Article V Convention is a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution allowing states to propose amendments if two-thirds (34) of the state legislatures call for it. An Article V convention could open the entire Constitution to unpredictable changes, as there are no clear guidelines or limitations on what delegates could propose. While an Article V convention has never been called before in American history, there is recent conservative momentum to add up all active resolutions to meet the two-thirds threshold.
Learn more about Common Cause’s nationwide efforts to stop an Article V convention here.
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