State constitution (United States)

In the United States, each state has its own constitution.

Usually, they are longer than the 8,500-word federal Constitution and are more detailed regarding the day-to-day relationships between government and the people. The shortest is the Constitution of Vermont, adopted in 1793 and currently 8,295 words long. The longest is Alabama's sixth and current constitution, ratified in 1901, about 345,000 words long. Both the federal and state constitutions are organic texts: they are the fundamental blueprints for the legal and political organizations of the United States and the states, respectively.

The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, provides that "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." The Guarantee Clause of Article 4 of the Constitution states that "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government." These two provisions indicate states did not surrender their wide latitude to adopt a constitution, the fundamental documents of state law, when the U.S. Constitution was adopted.

Typically state constitutions address a wide array of issues deemed by the states to be of sufficient importance to be included in the constitution rather than in an ordinary statute. Often modeled after the federal Constitution, they outline the structure of the state government and typically establish a bill of rights, an executive branch headed by a governor (and often one or more other officials, such as a lieutenant governor and state attorney general), a state legislature, and state courts, including a state supreme court (a few states have two high courts, one for civil cases, the other for criminal cases). Additionally, many other provisions may be included. Many state constitutions, unlike the federal constitution, also begin with an invocation of God.

Some states allow amendments to the Constitution by initiative.

Many states have had several constitutions over the course of their history .

The organized territories of the United States also have constitutions or organic acts of their own, if they have an organized government through an Organic Act passed by the federal Congress. These constitutions are subject to congressional approval and oversight, which is not the case with state constitutions. If territories wish to enter the Union (that is, to attain statehood), they seek an enabling act from Congress and must draft an acceptable state constitution as a prerequisite to statehood.

List of constitutions

The following is a list of the current constitutions of the United States of America and its constituent political divisions. Each entry shows the original number of the current constitution, the official name of the current constitution, and the date on which the current constitution took effect.

Federal constitution

No.	Official name	Date of effect	Notes
1st	Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union	000000001781-03-01-0000March 1, 1781	^[1]
2nd	Constitution of the United States of America	000000001789-03-04-0000March 4, 1789

State constitutions

Note that constitutions of states that were independent countries prior to admission, and constitutions used by rebelling states participating in the American Civil War are not counted.

No.	Official name	Date of effect	Notes
6th	Alabama, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Alabama	000000001901-11-28-0000November 28, 1901
1st	Alaska, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Alaska	000000001959-01-03-0000January 3, 1959
1st	Arizona, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Arizona	000000001912-02-14-0000February 14, 1912
4th	Arkansas, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Arkansas	000000001874-10-13-0000October 13, 1874
2nd	California, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of California	000000001880-01-01-0000January 1, 1880
1st	Colorado, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Colorado	000000001876-08-01-0000August 1, 1876
2nd	Connecticut, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Connecticut	000000001965-12-30-0000December 30, 1965
4th	Delaware, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Delaware	000000001897-06-10-0000June 10, 1897
5th	Florida, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Florida	000000001969-01-07-0000January 7, 1969
9th	Georgia, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Georgia	000000001983-07-01-0000July 1, 1983
1st	HawaiiConstitution of the State of Hawaiʻi	000000001959-08-21-0000August 21, 1959	^[2]
1st	Idaho, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Idaho	000000001890-07-03-0000July 3, 1890
4th	Illinois, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Illinois	000000001971-07-01-0000July 1, 1971
2nd	Indiana, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Indiana	000000001851-11-01-0000November 1, 1851
2nd	Iowa, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Iowa	000000001857-08-03-0000August 3, 1857
1st	Kansas, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Kansas	000000001861-01-29-0000January 29, 1861	^[3]
4th	Kentucky, Constitution of the Commonwealth ofConstitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky	000000001891-08-03-0000August 3, 1891
9th	Louisiana, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Louisiana	000000001975-01-01-0000January 1, 1975
1st	Maine, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Maine	000000001820-03-03-0000March 3, 1820	^[4]
4th	Maryland, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Maryland	000000001867-10-05-0000October 5, 1867
1st	Massachusetts, Constitution of the Commonwealth ofConstitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts	000000001780-10-25-0000October 25, 1780	^[5]
4th	Michigan, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Michigan	000000001964-01-01-0000January 1, 1964
1st	Minnesota, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Minnesota	000000001858-05-11-0000May 11, 1858
4th	Mississippi, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Mississippi	000000001890-11-01-0000November 1, 1890
4th	Missouri, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Missouri	000000001945-03-30-0000March 30, 1945
2nd	Montana, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Montana	000000001973-07-01-0000July 1, 1973
2nd	Nebraska, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Nebraska	000000001875-11-01-0000November 1, 1875
1st	Nevada, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Nevada	000000001864-10-31-0000October 31, 1864
3rd	New Hampshire, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of New Hampshire	000000001784-06-02-0000June 2, 1784	^[6]
3rd	New Jersey, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of New Jersey	000000001948-01-01-0000January 1, 1948
1st	New Mexico, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of New Mexico	000000001912-01-06-0000January 6, 1912
4th	New York, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of New York	000000001895-01-01-0000January 1, 1895	^[7]
4th	North Carolina, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of North Carolina	000000001971-07-01-0000July 1, 1971
1st	North Dakota, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of North Dakota	000000001889-11-02-0000November 2, 1889
2nd	Ohio, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Ohio	000000001851-09-01-0000September 1, 1851
1st	Oklahoma, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Oklahoma	000000001907-11-16-0000November 16, 1907
1st	Oregon, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Oregon	000000001859-02-14-0000February 14, 1859
4th	Pennsylvania, Constitution of the Commonwealth ofConstitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania	000000001874-01-01-0000January 1, 1874	^[8]
2nd	Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations	000000001843-05-02-0000May 2, 1843
6th	South Carolina, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of South Carolina	000000001896-01-01-0000January 1, 1896
1st	South Dakota, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of South Dakota	000000001889-11-02-0000November 2, 1889
3rd	Tennessee, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Tennessee	000000001870-03-26-0000March 26, 1870
4th	Texas, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Texas	000000001876-02-17-0000February 17, 1876	^[9]
1st	Utah, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Utah	000000001896-01-04-0000January 4, 1896
1st	Vermont, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Vermont	000000001793-07-09-0000July 9, 1793	^[10]
7th	Virginia, Constitution of the Commonwealth ofConstitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia	000000001971-07-01-0000July 1, 1971
1st	Washington, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Washington	000000001889-11-11-0000November 11, 1889
2nd	West Virginia, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of West Virginia	000000001872-08-22-0000August 22, 1872
1st	Wisconsin, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Wisconsin	000000001848-05-29-0000May 29, 1848
1st	Wyoming, Constitution of the State ofConstitution of the State of Wyoming	000000001890-07-10-0000July 10, 1890

Federal district charter

No.	Official name	Date of effect	Notes
1st	District of Columbia, Charter of theCharter of the District of Columbia	000000001973-12-24-0000December 24, 1973

The District of Columbia (Washington City in the District of Columbia) has a charter similar to charters of major cities, instead of having an constitution like the states and territories. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act establishes the Council of the District of Columbia which governs the entire district and has certain devolved powers similar to those of major cities. Congress has full authority over the district and may amend the charter and any legislation enacted by the Council. Attempts at statehood for the District of Columbia have included the drafting of two constitutions in 1982^[11] and 1987^[12] respectively referring to the district as the State of New Columbia.

Territorial constitutions

1st Constitution of the Territory of American Samoa, July 1, 1967 (at Politics of American Samoa) The revised constitution was approved on June 2, 1967 by Stewart L. Udall, then U.S. Secretary of the Interior, under authority granted on June 29, 1951. It became effective on July 1, 1967.
1st Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, November 3, 1986. The Constitution was approved by the Congress of the United States by joint resolution approved March 24, 1976 (Public Law 94-241; 90 Stat. 263) and by a majority of the voters of American Samoa voting in the general election in 1966.^[13]
1st Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, July 25, 1952. It was ratified by Puerto Rico's electorate in a referendum on March 3, 1952, approved by the United States Congress and the President

Organic acts

The Territory of Guam does not have its own constitution, but operates under the Guam Organic Act of 1950 and other federal statutes.
The United States Virgin Islands, an unincorporated organized territory, does not have its own constitution, instead operating under various federal statutes. See politics of the United States Virgin Islands.

References

↑ Despite its very different title, the United States Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, adopted on November 15, 1777, and ratified on March 1, 1781, was actually the first constitution of the United States of America. See Christian G. Fritz, American Sovereigns: The People and America's Constitutional Tradition Before the Civil War (Cambridge University Press, 2008) at p. 131 [ISBN 978-0-521-88188-3 (noting that "Madison, along with other Americans clearly understood" the Articles of Confederation "to be the first federal Constitution.")
↑ Excludes the constitutions of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and the Republic of Hawaiʻi.
↑ The Wyandotte Constitution supplanted the rejected Topeka Constitution, Lecompton Constitution, and Leavenworth Constitution.
↑ Excludes the 1876 recodification of the Constitution of the State of Maine.
↑ The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is currently the world's oldest written constitution that is still in effect.
↑ The first Constitution of the State of New Hampshire, adopted on January 5, 1776, was the first written constitution for an independent state in the New World and set the stage for the United States Declaration of Independence the following summer.
↑ Excludes the 1938 recodification of the Constitution of the State of New York.
↑ Excludes the 1968 recodification of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
↑ Excludes the constitution of the Republic of Texas.
↑ Excludes the two constitutions of the Vermont Republic.
↑
↑
↑ Proclamation 4534--Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands

Bibliography

Bryce, James, viscount. The American Commonwealth (2nd ed., rev.; London: Macmillan and Co., 1891), vol. 1, p. [413]-445, [683]-724, et passim.
Hammons, Christopher W. (1999). Was James Madison wrong? Rethinking the American preference for short, framework-oriented constitutions. American Political Science Review. Dec. 1999.
- The appendices to this article contain substantial data on state constitutions.

External links

State constitution (United States)

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