Courses

The United States Constitution is, by design, an incomplete document. It assumes the existence of state constitutions. Those charters, beginning in 1776, preceded the Federal Constitution. Through the years, they have been revised and amended in ways that make them road maps to the history, politics, and mentalities of individual states. They also reflect the great eras of American history, such as the age of Jacksonian politics, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the rise of the administrative state. While state constitutions are, of course, bound by the strictures of the Federal Constitution, state constitutions and state courts frequently articulate constitutional rights beyond those based in federal constitutional law (for example, in cases challenging partisan gerrymandering). The world of state constitutions is, in short, a universe whose study adds depth and texture to our understanding of American constitutionalism. This course will examine state constitutions from both historical and contemporary perspectives.