Is constitutional law difficult

Changing the constitution may require more steps, involve more actors, have higher vote thresholds, or all of the above

As a result, constitutions are harder to change than ordinary legislation and so can play their function of enhancing stability in the making of law and the operation of government

It is often asserted that the United States’ Constitution is the world’s most difficult to amend

But the basis for this empirical claim is shakier than one might imagine

This article introduces the small social science literature on measuring amendment difficulty and identifies several problems with it