Associate Dean Amar Comments on Constitutional Amendment for NPR
Associate Dean Vikram Amar commented on a proposed constitutional amendment that would require special elections to fill Senate vacancies for National Public Radio's Morning Edition news program. Associate Dean Amar cautioned against eliminating temporary gubernatorial appointment power altogether, citing the expense of special elections and the potential for states to have to go without representation during the time allotted for campaigning and the election. This might be a special problem if there were multiple Senate vacancies caused by, for example, terrorism.
"And in the meanwhile [before an election can be held], the question is, do you want the state to have any representation in the Senate or full representation in the Senate?" said Associate Dean Amar. "If so, you've got to have some second-best option, and the governor is better than the legislature in that second-best option."
Vikram Amar, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law with the UC Davis School of Law, is a national authority in the fields of constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, and remedies. His biweekly column for FindLaw.com, the leading provider of online legal information, centers on his expertise in constitutional law.