Should A State Be Able to Secede?
There has been debate by different people out in California about seceding from the US. The State would rank very high as a standalone country from an economic standpoint. There have even been articles about dividing the State into three individual states. This will focus on secession.
The Constitution does not specifically address the situation on a State to secede. It does not forbid it. The 10thAmendment says anything not expressly prohibited in the Constitution is allowed by a State. So, a State does have the right secede. You can read many articles on the Civil War where the south’s argument was not about slavery but on the States Rights issue. Now I don’t believe the South’s position on the Civil War. To me it always will be about slavery.
Some may say it is similar to England leaving the European Union, however, that is only tangential as there are policies that address this in the European Union Constitution.
California can set up laws and policies that can lead to secession. It would need a vote of the State populace. They would need to avoid the English mistake of only requiring a simple majority of those who voted to leave the EU. If I were a resident of California, I would require at least a 60% majority for a State to secede. It is such a massive disruption to the US and a State that anything percentage less would be a mistake.
Can a State secede, absolutely? Should it? I can’t think of scenario where any State would be better off outside of the Union, but if the residents want it then have at it.
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