Thanks. Interesting history. In this day and age, how would a new GL be (re)constituted? With no central American National Grand Lodge authority, who would oversee formation of a new state GL?
To form a new GL there has to be a state or territory with no current GL. At that point other jurisdictions are allowed to charter lodges there. Once there were enough lodges they can decide to band together and form their own GL.
This recently happened in Hawaii. MWPHGLofHI and MWPHGLofCA used to be the MWPHGLofCA+HI. GLogHI and GLofCA used to GLofCA+HI a few decades before that. This is the simple case of only one sponsoring parent GL.
This recently happened in Alaska. Lodges from GLofCA, GLofWA at least used to function in Alaska. Maybe lodges from other jurisdictions. At some point they decided to band together and form their own GL. California and Washington immediately issued edicts of recognition that were later voted into formal recognition. The rest of the world followed suit recognizing.
Similar has happened in most other states. When the lodges in Illinois got together to form the second GL charters from more than one state were surrendered.
The current GL has to fail first for this to happen. I take it few wish for that to happen.
Or ... Jurisdictions all over the place could decide that GLofAR has "jumped the shark" so badly they start pulling recognition. If enough do that then "there is no GL in AR" and steps can proceed from there. In the unlikely case this happens it gets better. The MWPHGLofAR exists, is regular, and is thriving. They would be THE GL in the state. Not a bad outcome I figure.