What are the legal requirements for passing a U.S. Constitutional Amendment?

Question

After a lot of creative google searching and Wikipedia reading, I can't seem to find the simple answer (i.e. - How and when, what session of congress it would be proposed; does the President need to sign it, does the Supreme Court need to sign off; Does congress need a majority or a 2/3 vote? Or a unanimous decision?)

Thanks!

Answer 1

There are two ways to amend. If 2/3 of both Houses of Congress approve an amendment, it is submitted to the individual states. If 3/4 of the states approve, it becomes part of the Constitution.

An alternate way (never done yet) is for 2/3 of the states to call for a Constitutional Convention to consider an amendment. If, at that Convention, 3/4 of the states approve, the Amendment becomes part of the Constitution. No action by either House of Congress is required in this method.

Neither method requires Presidential approval or Supreme Court review.

Answer 2

Both houses of the legislature, by a two-thirds majority in each. Once the bill has passed both houses, it goes on to the states. Because of some long outstanding amendments, such as the 27th, Congress will normally put a time limit (typically seven years) for the bill to be approved as an amendment .

The amendment must be ratified, or approved, by three-fourths of states.

It is interesting to note that at no point does the President have a role in the formal amendment process (though he would be free to make his opinion known). He cannot veto an amendment proposal, nor a ratification. This point is clear in Article 5, and was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in Hollingsworth v Virginia (3 USC 378 [1798]):

Answer 3

I think I've answered this basic question a couple times. Did you search YA for answered questions?

The President is overrated and given too much credit, he doesn't have that much power. Well... it wasn't designed that way anyway, the office of president has been abused and turned into a position more like that of a dictator or an autocrat, just as feared by the Founders.
See the section on Powers in this Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States

Likewise, the Supreme Court is not directly involved in the process. Their role is in upholding/enforcing the Constitution and acts of the legislature.

Here's an example of a proposed Amendment for which petition signatures are being solicited, I'm sure there are others this just happens to be one I came across on google:
http://patriotpetitions.us/intro.asp?id=10

Answer 4

yep