Texas: bill would require state judges “rely on the plain meaning of the text of the United States Constitution and any applicable constitutional doctrine as understood by the framers of the constitution.”

A bill before the Texas House would direct the state’s judiciary to rely almost entirely on “the plain meaning of the text of the United States Constitution and any applicable constitutional doctrine as understood by the framers of the constitution.”

HB 1347 as filed, entitled the Texas Sovereignty Act, would provide that state courts in Texas could reference decisions of other courts interpreting the U.S. Constitution (such as the U.S. Supreme Court) but that Texas courts could not “solely on the decisions of other courts interpreting the United States Constitution.”

HB 1347 has been filed in the House but not yet assigned to committee.