State Constitutions for the Twenty-first Century

Drafting State Constitutions, Revisions, and Amendments

Frank P. Grad, Robert F. Williams, Robert F. Williams

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN:
  9780791466483
  9780791466476
• eBook ISBN:
  9780791482322
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Public Law
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Identifies problems reformers face in drafting or amending state constitutions.

Constitutional reform requires not only good ideas but also the ability to translate those ideas into language that will effectuate the drafters' aims. This book-the second of three volumes on state constitutions-is the essential guide for those involved in constitutional reform. It identifies the recurrent problems that reformers face in drafting or amending state constitutions and explores how those problems might be addressed. It also explains why drafting state constitutions is a distinctive enterprise, different from the drafting of other legal documents.

Table of contents

• State Constitutions for the Twenty-first Century,Volume 2
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Reflection and Restraint in State Constitutional Amendment and Revision
• 2. The State Constitution Form and Function*
• 3. Unique Issues in Drafting State Constitutions
• 4. Some Implications of State Constitutional Amendment for the Drafter*
• 5. Judicial Doctrines of Interpretation Affecting Drafters of State Constitutional Provisions
• Notes
• Index