WASHINGTON, April 22, 2021 — By a 216-208 vote along party lines, the U.S. House of Representatives approved today legislation to make the District of Columbia the 51st state, and a new ABA Legal Fact Check released shortly afterward examines the political and potentially complex legal and constitutional path ahead for the proposal.
ABA Legal Fact Check seeks to help the media and public find dependable answers and explanations to sometimes confusing legal questions and issues. Recently, the web portal for ABA Legal Fact Check added a search button for its content, which is grouped by legal topics in nine different categories, including COVID-19 legal issues, presidential authority, election law, and police and security.
With the Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, advocates believe D.C. statehood has the best chance of passing in decades, although the bill still faces an uncertain fate in the U.S. Senate. The ABA Legal Fact Check explores the historical development of the District of Columbia as well as legal and constitutional issues that emerge with the legislation, including the challenge of what to do with the 23rd Amendment, which gives D.C. three electoral votes but leaves its residents without voting representation in Congress.
The URL for the site is www.abalegalfactcheck.com.
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