Original sentence: The theoretical issue related to the very nature of the United States Constitution and whether it was a product of the people qua citizens of states, i.a compact of states (in which case states are the final judges on constitutionality), or a product of the people qua citizens of the central government (in which the people as citizens of states lost many of the prerogatives enjoyed under the Articles of Confederation)
Edited sentence: The theoretical issue related to the very nature of the United States Constitution and whether it was a voluntary compact among states (in which case states are the final judges on constitutionality) or a product of the people and not the states (in which the states lost many of the prerogatives enjoyed under the Articles of Confederation)