JONATHAN TURLEY

Supporters of the D.C. vote bill have failed to secure the necessary 60 votes to move the measure to the floor for a vote. They appear to have come within three votes of their goal. That will likely delay and new vote for months. It is not a happy moment for those of us who opposed the bill. While I testified four times in Congress against the measure, I support a vote for the district either through constitutional amendment or retrocession. Click here for prior testimony. I only wish that advocates would turn to a constitutional option in seeking this worthy goal. Even if the sponsors had been successful today, the legislation would have faced not only a presidential veto but an inevitable legal challenge. Sen. Warner proposed an amendment that would have allowed a vote by the American people in the fashion envisioned by the Framers. Yet, this appears to be a case of path dependence where advocates are so committed to this ill-chosen course that they refuse to consider such wiser alternatives.