UMass Law UMass Law: Vyas Publishes in Penn State Law Review on How Capping the House at 435 is Unconstitutional

Professor Vyas’ latest article argues that the law providing for a permanent cap on the House of Representatives is unconstitutional

UMass Law Professor Anoo Vyas was published in the Penn State Law Review with his latest article Why Capping the House at 435 is Unconstitutional. Vyas’ article argues that the law providing for a permanent cap on the House of Representatives that was passed nearly a century ago is unconstitutional, and sets the groundwork for a future increase in House size. The article notes that increasing the size of the House could lessen the influence of money in politics, mitigate the impact of gerrymandering, and reduce polarization in our divided nation.

Professor Vyas’ work makes several novel contributions to the literature, including examining founding-era dictionaries, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers, the various state ratifying conventions, as well as other sources. He also chronicles the history of the originally proposed First Amendment, which in fact dealt with how to calculate the number of delegates in the House, as opposed to free speech.