Do states have a right to secession?

States do not have a right to secede, according to a direct interpretation of the United States Constitution and the historical battle fought as a result of an earlier attempt. In the Pledge of Allegiance, the statement "one nation, indivisible," suggests the illegality of an attempted secession by a State.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia argued in 2006 that secession of a State from the Union is illegal. The reasons include the Pledge of Allegiance, the fact that the Civil War already decided one case of an attempted secession, and that the United States would not recognize any lawsuit on the matter.