Your certainty on the issue has been nagging me. A tea Party group in NJ attempted to recall Sen. Menendez because our State Constitution said it could be done. The NJSC declared that power, clearly reserved to the people in our State Constitution, unconstitutional. The founder of the group sums it up as follows:
In this decision four out of six N.J. Supreme Court justices practiced judicial activism as they disenfranchised the will of the people of New Jersey and our legislatures, declared our N.J. Constitution unconstitutional and disregarded the intent of our founders as they disregarded a letter by George Washington, president of the Constitutional Convention, that clearly stated that our founders intended that we retained the right to recall our representatives, she said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45347.html#ixzz2lQpFHgEB
The group had lawyers working with them pro bono, but an appeal to the federal level was never pursued, apparently, for lack of funds. I suspect that you’re much more familiar with relevant case law than I am as a lay person and it would be appreciated if you are able and willing to help me settle my mind and let me know briefly where, when and how the issue has been so definitively settled. Thanks in advance for any further clarification you may provide.
My "expertise" stems from the American History textbook we used by junior year in high school (c. 1955). Among other things, we learned that there is no provision for the recall of federal officials within the Constitution.
A Senator or a Congressman may be forcibly removed by expulsion. A President or an appointed official (e.g., judges) may be impeached.
Just as the state laws regarding term limits don't apply to Congressmen and Senators, state laws concerning the recall process don't apply to them, either. Once elected, they are federal officials, not state officials.
Suggest you Google "U.S. Senator, recall" for further information.