State Constitutional Politics

State Constitutional Politics
Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 022653278X
ISBN-13 : 9780226532783
Rating : 4/5 (783 Downloads)

Book Synopsis State Constitutional Politics by : John Dinan

Download or read book State Constitutional Politics written by John Dinan and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-04-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the US Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended just twenty-seven times, with ten of those amendments coming in the first two years following ratification. By contrast, state constitutions have been completely rewritten on a regular basis, and the current documents have been amended on average 150 times. This is because federal amendments are difficult, so politicians rarely focus on enacting them. Rather, they work to secure favorable congressional statutes or Supreme Court decisions. By contrast, the relative ease of state amendment processes makes them a realistic and regular vehicle for seeking change. With State Constitutional Politics, John Dinan looks at the various occasions in American history when state constitutional amendments have served as instruments of governance. Among other things, amendments have constrained state officials in the way they levy taxes and spend money; enacted policies unattainable through legislation on issues ranging from minimum wage to the regulation of marijuana; and updated understandings of rights, including religious liberty, equal protection, and the right to bear arms. In addition to comprehensively chronicling the ways amendments shape politics in the states, Dinan also assesses the consequences of undertaking changes in governance through amendments rather than legislation or litigation. For various reasons, including the greater stability and legitimacy of changes achieved through the amendment process, he argues that it might be a more desirable way of achieving change.


State Constitutional Politics Related Books

State Constitutional Politics
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: John Dinan
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018-04-06 - Publisher: University of Chicago Press

GET EBOOK

Since the US Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended just twenty-seven times, with ten of those amendments coming in the first two years follo
Constitutional Politics in the States
Language: en
Pages: 256
Authors: G. Alan Tarr
Categories: Law
Type: BOOK - Published: 1996-04-18 - Publisher: Praeger

GET EBOOK

The reliance on state declarations of rights to expand rights protections during the last two decades has highlighted the political importance of state constitu
State Constitutions for the Twenty-first Century, Volume 1
Language: en
Pages: 226
Authors: Robert F. Williams
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2006-06-01 - Publisher: State University of New York Press

GET EBOOK

The first systematic analysis of the obstacles to state constitutional reform.
Constitutional Politics in Canada and the United States
Language: en
Pages: 291
Authors: Stephen L. Newman
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-02-01 - Publisher: State University of New York Press

GET EBOOK

Comparative study of American and Canadian constitutionalism, especially rights jurisprudence.
The American State Constitutional Tradition
Language: en
Pages: 447
Authors: John J. Dinan
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2006-04-14 - Publisher: University Press of Kansas

GET EBOOK

For too long, the American constitutional tradition has been defined solely by the U.S. Constitution drafted in 1787. Yet constitutional debates at the state le