ABSTRACT
Civil rights lawyers regularly cited the Charter's human rights pro-visions and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights in their briefs attacking the manifold practices of American apartheid. The ratification of the human rights treaties is the straightforward way. Under Article VI of the Constitution, the Supremacy Clause, treaties are the supreme law of the land and take precedence over inconsistent state laws. Six human rights treaties presently have been submitted by presidents to the Senate, where under the Constitution a two-thirds majority is required for advice and consent pursuant to ratification. Most law students are surprised upon reading the US Constitution, both that it is so short and that a relatively few provisions have done so much work.
