State Constitutions

State Constitutions vs. the U.S. Constitution

Americans talk about the Constitution like it is the whole story. It is not. In real life, you live under two constitutional layers at the same time: the U.S. Constitution and your state constitution. They overlap, they conflict, they borrow language from each other, and sometimes they protect you...

Direct Democracy in the States

Americans talk about “democracy” like it is one thing. In practice, we run two systems at once. At the federal level, the Constitution is relentlessly representative. You do not vote on federal statutes. You elect lawmakers who vote on federal statutes. Even the President is filtered through...

Wisconsin Enshrines Voter ID Law

Wisconsin voters have approved a constitutional amendment to enshrine their voter ID requirement, as reported by the Associated Press on April 1. The amendment passed with 60.3% of the vote , representing 482,591 ballots out of the total. The opposing side comprised 39.7% or 318,236 voters who...

The Montana Supreme Court’s interpretation of the ‘clean and healthful environment’ clause within its state constitution marks a significant judicial decision. In the Held v. Montana case, the court ruled that this clause includes the right to a stable climate system. This determination arose...

The Vermont Constitution Advertisement The following is the complete text of the Vermont Constitution. Text in bold designates added comments (plus see Section 75 ). The original source for this document can be found at The Vermont Legislature’s Web Site . The Vermont Code can also be viewed, or...

The Vermont Constitution Explained Advertisement The Vermont Constitution is the basic law for the state of Vermont. It has a rich history, and has been modified many times since the late 18th century. A full constitution was written in 1777 when Vermont was a young, independent republic. Another...

Notes on the Vermont Constitution Advertisement This document contains my personal notes about certain portions of the Vermont Constitution. The full Vermont Constitution is also available online. The Vermont Constitution Explained Page may be of some interest as well. Contact the Webmaster if you...

State Constitutions Each state in the United States has its own constitution. Of course, all state constitutions are inferior (in a legal sense) to the United States Constitution, and when reading state constitutions, this must be kept in mind — a state constitution, for example, cannot validly...