[Drennan Whyte]I have. Please quote the part where they talk about the Southern states being readmitted as states to the Union because I'm afraid I can't find it.
Originally posted by 4CJ:
Chief Justice Rehnquist, Richardson v. Ramirez, 418 US 24, 48-49 (1974)
More impressive than the mere existence of the state constitutional provisions disenfranchising felons at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment is the congressional treatment of States readmitted to the Union following the Civil War. For every State thus readmitted, affirmative congressional action in the form of an enabling act was taken, and as a part of the readmission process the State seeking readmission was required to submit for the approval of the Congress its proposed state constitution. In March 1867, before any State was readmitted, Congress passed "An act to provide for the more efficient Government of the Rebel States," the so-called Reconstruction Act.
Richardson v Ramirez was a voting rights case that had nothing to do with readmission of states. However if you want to discuss Supreme Court cases then I can point you to Texas v White which said that the Southern states were never out of the Union to begin with. But I'm sure I wouldn't be the first to do that.
My question was what clause of the Reconstruction Acts said that states were being readmitted as states to the Union. It should be easy enough for you to quote the relevant act and show me where I'm mistaken. Are you planning on doing that?