Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Restrict Federal Office to Natural-Born Citizens
擬議修訂憲法：將聯邦職位限制於天生公民
Introduction
Representative Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) has introduced a joint resolution to mandate that natural-born citizenship be a prerequisite for serving as a member of Congress, a federal judge, or a Senate-confirmed appointee.
眾議員 Nancy Mace（共和黨-南卡羅來納州）提出了一項聯合決議，要求天生公民身份必須是擔任國會議員、聯邦法官或經參議院確認之被任命者的前提條件。
Main Body
The proposed resolution seeks to extend the existing constitutional eligibility criteria—currently applicable only to the presidency and vice presidency—to a broader spectrum of federal governance. This legislative effort is predicated on the assertion that naturalized citizens may possess bifurcated loyalties, a condition Representative Mace contends is incompatible with the exercise of high-level federal authority. Specifically, the proponent cited Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as an exemplar of such conflicting allegiances. This specific focus coincides with reports from Vice President JD Vance regarding a Department of Justice investigation into Representative Omar for alleged immigration fraud.
該擬議決議旨在將現有的憲法資格標準——目前僅適用於總統和副總統——擴展至更廣泛的聯邦治理範疇。此次立法嘗試是基於一種主張，即歸化公民可能擁有雙重忠誠，而 Mace 議員認為這種情況與行使高層聯邦權力不相容。具體而言，提案者引用眾議員 Ilhan Omar（民主黨-明尼蘇達州）作為此類衝突忠誠的典型。這一特定關注點與副總統 JD Vance 關於司法部調查 Omar 議員涉嫌移民欺詐的報告相吻合。
Should the resolution be enacted, the resulting eligibility shift would necessitate the removal of numerous current officials. Within the legislative branch, affected individuals would include Republicans such as Senator Bernie Moreno and Representatives Juan Ciscomani, Young Kim, and Victoria Spartz, as well as Democrats including Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Ted Lieu, Robert Garcia, and Raja Krishnamoorthi. Furthermore, the retrospective application of such a standard would have rendered previous cabinet appointments, such as those of Elaine Chao and Alejandro Mayorkas, ineligible.
若該決議通過，隨之而來的資格轉變將導致許多現任官員必須被撤換。在立法分支中，受影響的人員將包括共和黨的參議員 Bernie Moreno 以及眾議員 Juan Ciscomani、Young Kim 和 Victoria Spartz，以及民主黨的眾議員 Pramila Jayapal、Ted Lieu、Robert Garcia 和 Raja Krishnamoorthi。此外，若追溯適用此標準，將使之前的內閣任命（如 Elaine Chao 和 Alejandro Mayorkas）變得不合格。
From a procedural standpoint, the probability of successful ratification remains low. The constitutional amendment process requires a supermajority of two-thirds in both the House and Senate, followed by ratification by three-quarters of the state legislatures. Alternatively, a constitutional convention could be convened via a two-thirds request from state legislatures, though this mechanism remains historically unprecedented in successful application.
從程序角度來看，成功批准的可能性仍然很低。憲法修正案程序要求眾議院和參議院均須獲得三分之二的絕對多數通過，隨後由四分之三的州議會批准。或者，可透過三分之二州議會的請求召開憲法會議，儘管此機制在歷史上尚未有成功應用的先例。
Conclusion
The resolution currently faces significant procedural hurdles and remains a proposal to alter the eligibility requirements for federal service.
該決議目前面臨顯著的程序障礙，仍僅為一項旨在改變聯邦職務資格要求的提案。
Vocabulary Learning
The Architecture of 'High-Register Formalism'
To move from B2 to C2, a student must transition from communicating clearly to manipulating tone for institutional authority. This text is a masterclass in Nominalization and Latinate Precision, specifically the use of "heavy" nouns to distance the author from the subject, creating an aura of objective, legalistic neutrality.
◈ The Pivot: From Verbs to Nouns
Observe the sentence: "This legislative effort is predicated on the assertion that..."
At a B2 level, a student would write: "This law is based on the idea that..."
C2 Breakdown:
- "Legislative effort" replaces "law" or "bill". It describes the process rather than the object.
- "Predicated on" (adj. phrase) replaces "based on". It invokes a logical premise, common in jurisprudence.
- "The assertion" replaces "the idea". An 'assertion' is a claim that demands proof, shifting the tone from an opinion to a formal proposition.
◈ Lexical Nuance: The 'Precision' Vocabulary
C2 mastery involves selecting words that carry specific legal or sociological weight. Note these three pairings from the text:
- Bifurcated loyalties Not just "split" or "divided," but bifurcated (split into two branches). This implies a structural, irreconcilable division.
- Exemplar Not just an "example," but a representative model of a specific trait.
- Retrospective application The academic term for "looking back at the past." In legal English, this is the hallmark of ex post facto logic.
◈ Syntactic Density
Compare the structure of the final paragraph. The author uses Complex Noun Phrases to compress massive amounts of information into single clauses:
"...a constitutional convention could be convened via a two-thirds request from state legislatures..."
Instead of using a series of simple sentences ("State legislatures can request a convention. They need two-thirds of the votes."), the C2 writer integrates the requirement (two-thirds request) as a modifier within the object phrase. This creates a "dense" reading experience characteristic of high-level policy briefs and academic journals.