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• The states and the District of Columbia
• U.S. territories
• Appendixes.

''''Newly updated and reflecting the diversity of state policies and the issues that are important to them, State Constitutions of the United States collects, explains, and offers comparison of each of the fifty state constitutions. Its in-depth explorations and easy-to-follow structure reveal individual state priorities, the significance of state constitutions and their impact on issues that affect the day-to-day lives of citizens. ''This major revision incorporates specific details and describes trends and patterns in state constitutions, drawing on over 380 amendments passed since the first edition of this resource was published in 1998. These amendments address, at the state level, important issues that are also being debated on the national level, such as freedom of religion (Alabama), tobacco (Arizona), death penalty (Florida), and same-sex marriage in a number of states. The new edition addresses all of these issues and more, in well-organized state-by-state chapters-including a new chapter on Washington, DC. ''''Beyond the extensive state-by-state coverage, this resource provides further insights through supplemental materials, including an overview of state constitutions, comparative tables, 'new rights' such as privacy and victim's rights, 'special provisions' such as the environment and home rule, and much more.''This is the only one-volume resource on state constitutions designed to inform non-specialists, including students, non-constitutional scholars, and interested citizens, about the variety, influence, and continual revision and innovation that define state constitutions in the U.S. A wide range of libraries, including those that serve college students, AP high school students, and the general public, will want to update their collections with this unique and essential reference work.''''.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• v. 1. United States ; Alabama-District of Columbia
• v. 2. Florida-Kansas
• v. 3. Kentucky-Massachusetts
• v. 4. Michigan-New Hampshire
• v. 5. New Jersey-Philippine Islands
• v. 6. Porto Rico-Vermont
• v. 7. Virginia-Wyoming; Index.

• The slow evolution of the "constitution state" / Elizabeth Beaumont
• The Maine Constitution : a tradition of consensus / Kenneth T. Palmer and Jonathan Thomas
• The Massachusetts Constitution : liberty and equality in the commonwealth / Kenneth L. Manning
• New Hampshire and the constitutional movement / B. Thomas Schuman
• Constitutionalism in Rhode Island : continuity of colonial design / Elmer Cornwell
• The green mountain boys constitute Vermont / Celise Schneider
• Pioneer and outlier : Maryland constitutionalism in its third century / Thomas F. Schaller
• Constitutionalism in New Jersey : constitutional failures in a changing political environment / Melissa Scheier
• The New York Constitution : emerging principles in American constitutional thought / Howard L. Lubert
• Pennsylvania : virtue, liberty, and independence / Jeffrey P. Bauman
• Festina lente : the development of constitutionalism in Delaware / Carol E. Hoffecker and Barbara E. Benson
• Constitutionalism in Kentucky : adapting an archaic charter / Penny M. Miller and Amanda L. Cooper
• Missouri constitutionalism : meandering toward progress, 1820-2004 / Ronald Brecke and Greg Plumb
• The West Virginia Constitution : securing the popular interest / Robert E. DiClerico
• Political geography and power elites : big mules and the Alabama Constitution / Anne Permaloff and Carl Grafton
• Change and continuity in Arkansas politics after the 1874 Arkansas State Constitutional Convention / Franklyn C. Niles
• Florida : defining and redefining citizen and community / Rebecca Mae Salokar
• Georgia : tectonic plates shifting / Melvin B. Hill, Jr. and LaVerne Williamson Hill
• The Louisiana experience : culture, clashes, and codification / Amy Gossett
• Custom, culture, and change : the Mississippi constitutional experience / Angela K. Lewis
• North Carolina : fundamental principles / John V. Orth
• South Carolina : defining power, defining people / Kevin Hill
• The Tennessee Constitution : an unlikely path toward conservatism / Lewis L. Laska
• The Texas Constitution : formal and informal / James E. Anderson
• The development of the Virginia Constitution / John J. Dinan
• Understatement and the development of Illinois constitutionalism / Jeremy Walling
• Justice, order, and liberty : responsible citizenship in Indiana / Jordon B. Barkalow
• Michigan : four constitutions, four new beginnings / David Houghton
• The Ohio Constitution : normatively and empirically distinctive / James L. Walker
• Wisconsin : rejection, ratification, and the evolution of a people / John Zumbrunnen
• The Iowa Constitution : rights over mechanics / Donald P. Racheter
• The Kansas constitution : conservative politics through republican dominance / Francis H. Heller and Paul D. Schumaker
• Framing government for a frontier commonwealth : the Minnesota Constitution(s) / Barbara Allen
• A self-righteous and self-sufficient method for governing : how the Nebraska Constitution preserves a way of life / Christopher W. Larimer
• North Dakota : a constitution implements popular democracy / Theodore B. Pedeliski
• Oklahoma's statutory constitution / Ronald M. Peters, Jr. and Michael K. Avery
• South Dakota's constitution : harkening backward, foreshadowing a future / Michael Mullin and Jon Lauck
• Two sides of Colorado, amplified through constitutional redesign / Vicky Bollenbacher
• The constitutional Idahoan / Dennis C. Colson
• Montana : community denied, constitutionalism delayed / George E. Connor
• The Nevada state constitution : from polygamy to prostitution / Roberta Q. Herzberg
• Utah's constitution : distinctly undistinctive / Daniel J.H. Greenwood, Christine M. Durham, and Kathy Wyer
• Wyoming : the equality state / Brian A. Ellison
• The Alaska Constitution : promoting statehood, providing stability / Sally H. Campbell
• Arizona's constitution : the Madisonian hope of a western progressive state / Hans L. Eicholz
• The 1849 California Constitution : an extraordinary achievement by dedicated, ordinary people / Gordon Lloyd
• Hawaii : centralization in a multi-island state / Anne Feder Lee
• New Mexico's constitution : promoting pluralism in la tierra encantada / John Bretting and F. Chris Garcia
• Oregon's constitution : a political richter scale / Howard Leichter
• Washington : the past and present populist state / Hugh D. Spitzer.

"This comparative study of state constitutions offers insightful overviews of the general and specific problems that have confronted America's constitution writers since the country's founding. Each chapter reflects the constitutional theory and history of a single state, encompassing each document's structure, content, and evolution"--Provided by publisher.

• Illinois : Abraham Lincoln and the American Union
• Alabama : Hugo Black and the Hall of Fame
• New York : Robert Jackson and the judicialization of the judiciary
• California : Anthony Kennedy and the ideal of equality
• Kansas : living in the shadow of Brown v. Board
• Iowa : rereading Tinker v. Des Moines
• Florida : getting to the bottom of Bush v. Gore
• Ohio : a buckeye-state view of presidents without mandates
• Texas : a lone-star view of presidential selection and succession
• Wyoming : a rocky-mountain view of the Second Amendment
• Massachusetts : a bay-state view of the Fourth Amendment
• New Jersey : Lord Camden meets federalism
• Conclusion.

From Kennebunkport to Kauai, from the Rio Grande to the Northern Rockies, ours is a vast republic. While we may be united under one Constitution, separate and distinct states remain, each with its own constitution and culture. Geographic idiosyncrasies add more than just local character. Regional understandings of law and justice have shaped and reshaped our nation throughout history. America's Constitution, our founding and unifying document, looks slightly different in California than it does in Kansas.In The Law of the Land , renowned legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar illustrates how geography, federalism, and regionalism have influenced some of the biggest questions in American constitutional law. Writing about Illinois, the land of Lincoln, " Amar shows how our sixteenth president's ideas about secession were influenced by his Midwestern upbringing and outlook. All of today's Supreme Court justices, Amar notes, learned their law in the Northeast, and New Yorkers of various sorts dominate the judiciary as never before. The curious Bush v. Gore decision, Amar insists, must be assessed with careful attention to Florida law and the Florida Constitution. The second amendment appears in a particularly interesting light, he argues, when viewed from the perspective of Rocky Mountain cowboys and cowgirls.Propelled by Amar's distinctively smart, lucid, and engaging prose, these essays allow general readers to see the historical roots of, and contemporary solutions to, many important constitutional questions. The Law of the Land illuminates our nation's history and politics, and shows how America's various local parts fit together to form a grand federal framework.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1. Introduction
• 2. American Constitutionalism: A Second Source of Power Comes With Two Potential Constraints on That Power
• 3. Equality and Adequacy of School Funding
• 4. Search and Seizure: The Exclusionary Rule
• 5. Compelled Sterilization
• 6. Free Speech, Free Exercise of Religion, and Freedom from Mandatory Flag Salutes
• 7. Looking Forward: What the State Courts Can Do
• 8. Looking Forward: What the Rest of the Legal Community Can Do
• 9. Epilogue.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

When we think of constitutional law, we invariably think of the Supreme Court and the federal court system. Yet much of our constitutional law is not made at the federal level. In 51 Imperfect Solutions, U.S. Federal Appellate Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton argues that American Constitutional Law should account for the role of the state courts and state constitutions, together with the federal courts and the federal constitution, in protecting our individual liberties. The book tells four stories that arise in four different areas of constitutional law: equal protection; criminal procedure; privacy; and free speech and free exercise of religion. Traditional accounts of these bedrock debates about the relationship of the individual to the state focus on decisions of the United States Supreme Court. But these accounts tell just part of the story. The book corrects this omission by looking at each issue (and some others as well) through the lens of many constitutions, not one constitution, of many courts, not one court, of all American judges, not federal or state judges. Taken together, the stories reveal a remarkably complex, nuanced, ever-changing federalist system, one that ought to make lawyers and litigants pause before reflexively assuming that the United States Supreme Court alone has all of the answers to our vexing constitutional questions. If there is a central conviction of the book, it's that an underappreciation of state constitutional law has hurt state and federal law and has undermined the appropriate balance between state and federal courts in protecting individual liberty. In trying to correct this imbalance, the book also offers several ideas for reform.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Introduction
• American constitutionalism : a second source of power comes with dual constraints on that power
• Equality and adequacy of school funding
• Search and seizure : the exclusionary rule
• Compelled sterilization
• Free speech, free exercise of religion, and freedom from mandatory flag salutes
• Looking forward : what the state courts can do
• Looking forward : what the rest of the legal community can do
• Epilogue.

When we think of constitutional law, we invariably think of the Supreme Court and the federal court system. Yet much of our constitutional law is not made at the federal level. In 51 Imperfect Solutions, U.S. Federal Appellate Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton argues that American Constitutional Law should account for the role of the state courts and state constitutions, together with the federal courts and the federal constitution, in protecting our individual liberties. The book tells four stories that arise in four different areas of constitutional law: equal protection; criminal procedure; privacy; and free speech and free exercise of religion. Traditional accounts of these bedrock debates about the relationship of the individual to the state focus on decisions of the United States Supreme Court. But these accounts tell just part of the story. The book corrects this omission by looking at each issue (and some others as well) through the lens of many constitutions, not one constitution, of many courts, not one court, of all American judges, not federal or state judges. Taken together, the stories reveal a remarkably complex, nuanced, ever-changing federalist system, one that ought to make lawyers and litigants pause before reflexively assuming that the United States Supreme Court alone has all of the answers to our vexing constitutional questions. If there is a central conviction of the book, it's that an underappreciation of state constitutional law has hurt state and federal law and has undermined the appropriate balance between state and federal courts in protecting individual liberty. In trying to correct this imbalance, the book also offers several ideas for reform.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Reflection and restraint in state constitutional amendment and revision
• The state constitution : form and function
• Unique issues in drafting state constitutions
• Some implications of state constitutional amendment for the drafter
• Judicial doctrines of interpretation affecting drafters of state constitutional provisions.

• Machine generated contents note: Ch. 1 Introduction. American Constitutionalism and Political Culture
• Ch. 2 Alaska. Frontier Autonomy
• Ch. 3 California. Diverse Microcosm
• Ch. 4 Georgia. Southern Republicanism
• Ch. 5 Hawaii. A Multi-Ethnic Heritage
• Ch. 6 Louisiana. Constitutional Patriarchy
• Ch. 7 Utah. A Liberal Theocracy
• Ch. 8 Vermont. A Republic Apart
• Ch. 9 Wyoming. Communitarian Ideal
• Ch. 10 Conclusion.

"State Constitutions have become increasingly important in light of recent trends in jurisprudence that favor decentralizing the American federal system. Ex Uno Plura uses a political culture approach to explore eight state constitutional traditions. McHugh argues that state jurisprudence is not merely a reflection of the process, values, and decisions found at the federal level, especially through the influence of the Fourteenth Amendment. A close examination of separate state constitutions, including their origins, sociopolitical cultures, and jurisprudence, reveals historically, culturally, and philosophically unique characteristics, each of which will contribute to the ongoing debate concerning American judicial federalism. The states included are Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming."--Jacket.

• Introduction : revisiting the critical period
• Peace pact and nation : the Constitution as a compact between states
• Union : empowering a new national government
• Internal police : the residual power of the states
• Legislation : implementing the constitution
• Conclusion : toward a new understanding of the founding.

"Habitually interpreted as the fundamental law of the American republic, the US Constitution was in fact designed as an instrument of union between thirteen American republics and as a form of government for their common central government. It offered an organizational solution to the security concerns of the newly independent American states. Confederation was an established means for weak states to maintain their independence by joining in union to manage relations with the outside world from a position of strength. Confederation also transformed the immediate international environment by turning neighboring states from potential enemies into sister states in a common union or peace pact. The US Constitution profoundly altered the structure of the American union and made the federal government more effective than under the defunct Articles of Confederation. But it did not transform the fundamental purpose of the federal union, which remained the management of relations between the American states, on the one hand, and between the American states and foreign powers, on the other hand. As had been the case under the articles, the states regulated the social, economic, and civic life of their citizens and inhabitants with only limited supervision and control from the federal government. Interpreting the Constitution as an instrument of union has important implications for our understanding of the American founding. The Constitution mattered much more to the international than to the domestic history of the United States. Its importance to the latter was dwarfed by that of state constitutions and legislation"-- Provided by publisher.

• Introduction
• State constitutional amendment processes and practices
• Institutional-authority amendments
• Rights-defining amendments
• Court-responsive amendments
• Policy-constraining amendments
• Policy-authorizing amendments
• Policy-enacting amendments
• Consequences of relying on amendments as instruments of governance.

Since the US Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended just twenty-seven times, with ten of those amendments coming in the first two years following ratification. By contrast, state constitutions have been completely rewritten on a regular basis, and the current documents have been amended on average 150 times. This is because federal amendments are difficult, so politicians rarely focus on enacting them. Rather, they work to secure favorable congressional statutes or Supreme Court decisions. By contrast, the relative ease of state amendment processes makes them a realistic and regular vehicle for seeking change. With State Constitutional Politics, John Dinan looks at the various occasions in American history when state constitutional amendments have served as instruments of governance. Among other things, amendments have constrained state officials in the way they levy taxes and spend money; enacted policies unattainable through legislation on issues ranging from minimum wage to the regulation of marijuana; and updated understandings of rights, including religious liberty, equal protection, and the right to bear arms. In addition to comprehensively chronicling the ways amendments shape politics in the states, Dinan also assesses the consequences of undertaking changes in governance through amendments rather than legislation or litigation. For various reasons, including the greater stability and legitimacy of changes achieved through the amendment process, he argues that it might be a more desirable way of achieving change.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Introduction Rogers M. Smith and Richard R. Beeman
• Part I. The Example of American Constitutionalism
• Chapter 1. Is the Influence of the U.S. Constitution Declining? David S. Law and Mila Versteeg
• Chapter 2. Is the U.S. Constitution Sufficiently Democratic? How Would We Know and Do We Really Care? Sanford Levinson
• Chapter 3. State Constitutional Details and America's Positive Rights Emily Zackin
• Part II. Global Patterns and Problems in Modern Constitution-Making
• Chapter 4. Dignity, Rights, and the Comparative Method Christopher McCrudden
• Chapter 5. Beyond Window Dressing: Constitutions in Authoritarian Regimes Tom Ginsburg
• Chapter 6. Unconstitutional Constituent Power Kim Lane Scheppele
• Chapter 7. Communist Federations Valerie Bunce
• Chapter 8. Constitutional Moments and the Paradox of Constitutionalism in Multinational Democracies (Spain, 2006-2019) Jaime Lluch
• Chapter 9. Constituting the State in Postcolonial Africa: Fifty Years of Constitution-Making Toward an African Constitutionalism Heinz Klug
• Conclusion Rogers M. Smith
• List of Contributors Index Acknowledgments.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

More than two millennia ago, Aristotle is said to have compiled a collection of ancient constitutions that informed his studies of politics. For Aristotle, constitutions largely distilled and described the varied and distinctive patterns of political life established over time. What constitutionalism has come to mean in the modern era, on the other hand, originates chiefly in the late eighteenth century and primarily with the U.S. Constitution-written in 1787 and made effective in 1789-and the various French constitutions that first appeared in 1791. In the last half century, more than 130 nations have adopted new constitutions, half of those within the last twenty years. These new constitutions are devoted to many of the same goals found in the U.S. Constitution: the rule of law, representative self-government, and protection of rights. But by canvassing constitutional developments at the national and state level in the United States alongside modern constitutions in Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, and Asia, the contributors to Modern Constitutions-all leading scholars of constitutionalism-show that modern constitutions often seek to protect social rights and to establish representative institutions, forms of federalism, and courts charged with constitutional review that depart from or go far beyond the seminal U.S. example. Partly because of their innovations, however, many modern constitutional systems now confront mounting authoritarian pressures that put fundamental commitments to the rule of law in jeopardy. The contributions in this volume collectively provide a measure of guidance for the challenges and prospects of modern constitutions in the rapidly changing political world of the twenty-first century. Contributors: Richard R. Beeman, Valerie Bunce, Tom Ginsburg, Heinz Klug, David S. Law, Sanford Levinson, Jaime Lluch, Christopher McCrudden, Kim Lane Scheppele, Rogers M. Smith, Mila Versteeg, Emily Zackin.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)