Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
Ebook249 pages15 hours
Understanding State Constitutions
By G. Alan Tarr
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
For many Americans, the word "constitution" means just one thing: the national Constitution. According to a recent survey, almost half do not know that individual states also have constitutions. Scholars have also paid little attention to state constitutions, favoring the apparently more dynamic and significant federal scene. G. Alan Tarr seeks to change that in this landmark book. A leading authority on state legal issues, he combines history, law, and political science to present a thorough and long-needed account of the distinct and important role of state constitutions in American life.
Tarr shows that state constitutional politics are dominated by three crucial issues with little salience at the national level: the distribution of power among groups and regions within states, the scope of state and local governmental authority, and the relation of the state to economic activity. He explains how state constitutions differ from the national Constitution in treating not only matters of high principle but also such mundane subjects as ski trails and motor vehicle revenues. He also explores why state constitutions, unlike their federal counterpart, have been so frequently amended and replaced. Tarr concludes that the United States not only has a system of dual constitutionalism but also has dual constitutional cultures.
Powerfully argued and meticulously researched, the book fills an important gap in political and legal studies and finally gives state constitutions the scholarly attention they richly deserve.
Related to Understanding State Constitutions
Related ebooks
The Constitution of the United States: A Primer for the People A Citizen's Guide to the U.S. Constitution; Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConstitutional Context: Women and Rights Discourse in Nineteenth-Century America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsContested Ground: How to Understand the Limits of Presidential Power Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Community Built on Words: The Constitution in History and Politics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Injustice for All - The (Familiar) Fallacies of Criminal Justice Reform Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBinding Promises: The Late 20th-Century Reformation of Contract Law Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJudicial Fortitude: The Last Chance to Rein In the Administrative State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvidence of the Law: Proving Legal Claims Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Constitution in the Supreme Court: The Second Century, 1888-1986 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Constitution in the Supreme Court: The First Hundred Years, 1789-1888 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guilty People Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bill of Rights Primer: A Citizen's Guidebook to the American Bill of Rights Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Theory and Practice of Statutory Interpretation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Cases in Constitutional Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The United States Constitution Made Easy...To Understand Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Georgia's Constitution and Government Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpecializing the Courts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Constitution of the United States of America: 1787 (Annotated) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Common Law Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRestitution: Civil Liability for Unjust Enrichment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New Debtors' Prison: Why All Americans Are in Danger of Losing Their Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soul of the First Amendment Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Return of George Sutherland: Restoring a Jurisprudence of Natural Rights Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPersonal Liability of Public Officials in Virginia’s Local Governments and Its Impact on Their Willingness to Serve Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHousing Desegregation and Federal Policy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorking Law: Courts, Corporations, and Symbolic Civil Rights Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWithout Fear or Favor: Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability in the States Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Credentialed Court: Inside the Cloistered, Elite Supreme Court Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Constitutional Law For You
Federal Tax Returns Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Radical Mind: The Destructive Plans of the Woke Left Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsU.S. Constitution For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Abortion Rights Controversy in America: A Legal Reader Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Justice Without Trial: Law Enforcement in Democratic Society Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Student's Guide to the Study of Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Constitutional Law Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bill of Rights Primer: A Citizen's Guidebook to the American Bill of Rights Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law - New Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Supreme Court: 20 Cases that Changed America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReason in Law Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Introduction to Legal Reasoning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConstitutional Law For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Introduction To Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The U.S. Constitution and Related Documents Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Heritage Guide to the Constitution: Fully Revised Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe U.S. Constitution and Other Writings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Covid To Communism: Chronicling the Global Assault on Our Freedom and What to Do About It. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Constitution of the United States of America: 1787 (Annotated) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We the People: A Progressive Reading of the Constitution for the Twenty-First Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The US Constitution with the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confede Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Constitutional Law, Law Essentials: Governing Law for Law School and Bar Exam Prep Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Supremes' Greatest Hits: The 44 Supreme Court Cases That Most Directly Affect Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Second Amendment: A Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights: We're revisiting the origins of United States government and rights. 0% found this document usefulScott Veitch, "Obligations: New Trajectories in Law" (Routledge, 2021) 0% found this document useful068: Top Ten Legal Research and Writing Disasters to Avoid: Get prepared for LRW, and avoid disaster 100% found this document usefulEpisode 178: Dear Bushrod: On judges, legislatures, and statutory interpretation in the early 1800s, with Farah Peterson. 100% found this document usefulIn Legal Terms: Advice and Consent: 03/29/2022 0% found this document usefulEpisode 114: Tort Festivity: Torts and causation, with Shahar Dillbary 0% found this document usefulIn Legal Terms: Child Custody Factors: In Legal Terms: Child Custody Factors 0% found this document usefulEvicted During the Pandemic 0% found this document usefulIn Legal Terms: Paralegals: Paralegals 0% found this document usefulWhy Ta-Nehisi Coates is hopeful: The award-winning author on police violence, protest, and "the public" 0% found this document usefulEverything Under the Sun–Social Conservatism After Dobbs (feat. Ryan T. Anderson) 0% found this document usefulWhy are reproductive rights so contentious in the US and Argentina? 0% found this document useful
Related articles
'A Lot Of Gray Area': A Legal Expert Explains 'How To Read The Constitution' NPRArticle
'A Lot Of Gray Area': A Legal Expert Explains 'How To Read The Constitution'
Jun 25, 2019
4 min readThe Supreme Court Resuscitates the Eighth Amendment The AtlanticArticle
The Supreme Court Resuscitates the Eighth Amendment
Mar 13, 2019
15 min readThe Blacklist The Texas ObserverArticle
The Blacklist
Nov 1, 2020
11 min readThe Supreme Court Is Giving Lower Courts a Subtle Hint to Rein In Police Misconduct The AtlanticArticle
The Supreme Court Is Giving Lower Courts a Subtle Hint to Rein In Police Misconduct
Mar 4, 2021
5 min readWhen Your Judge Isn't A Lawyer The AtlanticArticle
When Your Judge Isn't A Lawyer
Feb 5, 2017
5 min readA Republic, If We Can Keep It The AtlanticArticle
A Republic, If We Can Keep It
Feb 4, 2020
10 min readWhy Is This Cross-Shaped Memorial Constitutional? The AtlanticArticle
Why Is This Cross-Shaped Memorial Constitutional?
Feb 19, 2019
8 min readFormer U.S. Appeals Court Judge: Get Rid of Lawyers Chicago TribuneArticle
Former U.S. Appeals Court Judge: Get Rid of Lawyers
Oct 26, 2017
3 min readWhen Prisoners Are a 'Revenue Opportunity' The AtlanticArticle
When Prisoners Are a 'Revenue Opportunity'
Aug 10, 2017
8 min readSupreme Court Lets Stand Ruling That Protects Homeless Who Sleep On Sidewalk Los Angeles TimesArticle
Supreme Court Lets Stand Ruling That Protects Homeless Who Sleep On Sidewalk
Dec 16, 2019
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a major case on homeless, letting stand a ruling that protects their right to sleep on the sidewalk or in public parks if no other shelter is available. The justices without comment or a dissent s
3 min readThe Common Misconception About ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors’ The AtlanticArticle
The Common Misconception About ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors’
Oct 22, 2019
8 min readThe Best Way to Buy a Company Car EntrepreneurArticle
The Best Way to Buy a Company Car
Oct 1, 2013
1 min readRelearning to Write After Law School Buried My Voice Literary HubArticle
Relearning to Write After Law School Buried My Voice
Feb 21, 2020
7 min readNo Legalization of Sharia Law FactCheck.orgArticle
No Legalization of Sharia Law
Jul 28, 2017
Q: Did a Muslim federal judge rule two parts of sharia law legal? A: No. That only happened in a fake story on a satirical website. FULL ANSWER Sharia is […] The post No Legalization of Sharia Law appeared first on FactCheck.org.
2 min readThere’s No Historical Justification for One of the Most Dangerous Ideas in American Law The AtlanticArticle
There’s No Historical Justification for One of the Most Dangerous Ideas in American Law
May 26, 2020
6 min readWhen Cops Misbehave, Who Has the Right to Know? The Marshall ProjectArticle
When Cops Misbehave, Who Has the Right to Know?
Feb 13, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO — When Jerry Coleman heard about a domestic violence prosecution winding its way through San Francisco’s criminal courts, he knew he’d finally found his test case. In November 2012, San Francisco police officers arrested 20-year-old Da
4 min readThe Parties Understand and Agree That by Entering Into This Agreement They Are Each Relinquishing and Waiving Their Right Under Applicable Law to Have Any Claim Decided in a Court of Law Before a Judge and/or Jury. TIMEArticle
The Parties Understand and Agree That by Entering Into This Agreement They Are Each Relinquishing and Waiving Their Right Under Applicable Law to Have Any Claim Decided in a Court of Law Before a Judge and/or Jury.
Nov 27, 2017
I. SISTER IRENE MORISSETTE ALWAYS LOCKED HER DOOR AT night. Maybe it was force of habit from her decades teaching at an isolated missionary school in Africa, or maybe it was, as she told a police detective later, just that she didn’t want “anyone co
11 min readReimagining Legal Education Manhattan InstituteArticle
Reimagining Legal Education
Jun 27, 2019
3 min readWhen LexisNexis Makes a Mistake, You Pay For It NewsweekArticle
When LexisNexis Makes a Mistake, You Pay For It
Oct 4, 2019
10 min readAfter Jaw-Dropping Testimony, Baltimore Police Corruption Trial Heads To Jury NPRArticle
After Jaw-Dropping Testimony, Baltimore Police Corruption Trial Heads To Jury
Feb 8, 2018
2 min readThe Constitution Is On Pause in America’s Courtrooms The AtlanticArticle
The Constitution Is On Pause in America’s Courtrooms
Oct 10, 2020
12 min readThe Books Briefing: Prison Sentences The AtlanticArticle
The Books Briefing: Prison Sentences
May 31, 2019
4 min readMadison’s Notes Don’t Mean What Everyone Says They Mean The AtlanticArticle
Madison’s Notes Don’t Mean What Everyone Says They Mean
Dec 22, 2019
7 min read'The Wrong Complexion For Protection.' How Race Shaped America's Roadways And Cities NPRArticle
'The Wrong Complexion For Protection.' How Race Shaped America's Roadways And Cities
Jul 5, 2020
3 min readThe Atlantic Daily: A Wave of Revelations The AtlanticArticle
The Atlantic Daily: A Wave of Revelations
Oct 27, 2017
4 min readThe Atlantic Daily: Investigating ISIS, Interviewing Steve Bannon, Parenting Teen Idols The AtlanticArticle
The Atlantic Daily: Investigating ISIS, Interviewing Steve Bannon, Parenting Teen Idols
Jan 17, 2018
4 min readSecret Solitary Guernica MagazineArticle
Secret Solitary
Jun 28, 2022
18 min readLetters: Is the Senate Representative Enough? The AtlanticArticle
Letters: Is the Senate Representative Enough?
Jan 14, 2019
17 min readMeaghan Winter: Progressives Can’t Give Up on the States Guernica MagazineArticle
Meaghan Winter: Progressives Can’t Give Up on the States
Mar 16, 2020
14 min read'The Words That Made Us': Scholar Akhil Reed Amar On How To Better Understand The Constitution NPRArticle
'The Words That Made Us': Scholar Akhil Reed Amar On How To Better Understand The Constitution
Jul 5, 2021
7 min read
Reviews for Understanding State Constitutions
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Understanding State Constitutions - G. Alan Tarr
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1