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ratified or during the reasonable period
during which the opportunity to ratify the proposed
amendment continues.
The other possible case is that in which a
state legislature rejects a proposed amendment after
it has ratified it. If it posesses this power it
would certainly be withdrawn as soon as the
last state necessary for its final ratification
had ratified it. There is no more reason for
holding that the withdrawal of a ratification
before the ratification of the amendment is
consummated {that those holding that} is illegal
then holding that the withdrawal of a
rejection is illegal. The act of any single state
in ratifying has no effect on the amendment
unless it be the last state to ratify. Permitting
withdrawal seems more consonant with the
political theories underlying our governmental
system and fairer if prior rejections are permitted
to be {sent} set aside. It is unlikely that
the power of a state to reverse its prior action
will be any less when ratification is required
by convention rather than by legislatures in
the several states.