Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places

Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places PDF Author: Emily Zackin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069115578X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
Unlike many national constitutions, which contain explicit positive rights to such things as education, a living wage, and a healthful environment, the U.S. Bill of Rights appears to contain only a long list of prohibitions on government. American constitutional rights, we are often told, protect people only from an overbearing government, but give no explicit guarantees of governmental help. Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood the American rights tradition. The United States actually has a long history of enshrining positive rights in its constitutional law, but these rights have been overlooked simply because they are not in the federal Constitution. Emily Zackin shows how they instead have been included in America's state constitutions, in large part because state governments, not the federal government, have long been primarily responsible for crafting American social policy. Although state constitutions, seemingly mired in trivial detail, can look like pale imitations of their federal counterpart, they have been sites of serious debate, reflect national concerns, and enshrine choices about fundamental values. Zackin looks in depth at the history of education, labor, and environmental reform, explaining why America's activists targeted state constitutions in their struggles for government protection from the hazards of life under capitalism. Shedding much-needed light on the variety of reasons that activists pursued the creation of new state-level rights, Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places challenges us to rethink our most basic assumptions about the American constitutional tradition.

Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places

Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places PDF Author: Emily Zackin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069115578X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
Unlike many national constitutions, which contain explicit positive rights to such things as education, a living wage, and a healthful environment, the U.S. Bill of Rights appears to contain only a long list of prohibitions on government. American constitutional rights, we are often told, protect people only from an overbearing government, but give no explicit guarantees of governmental help. Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood the American rights tradition. The United States actually has a long history of enshrining positive rights in its constitutional law, but these rights have been overlooked simply because they are not in the federal Constitution. Emily Zackin shows how they instead have been included in America's state constitutions, in large part because state governments, not the federal government, have long been primarily responsible for crafting American social policy. Although state constitutions, seemingly mired in trivial detail, can look like pale imitations of their federal counterpart, they have been sites of serious debate, reflect national concerns, and enshrine choices about fundamental values. Zackin looks in depth at the history of education, labor, and environmental reform, explaining why America's activists targeted state constitutions in their struggles for government protection from the hazards of life under capitalism. Shedding much-needed light on the variety of reasons that activists pursued the creation of new state-level rights, Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places challenges us to rethink our most basic assumptions about the American constitutional tradition.

State Constitutional Law

State Constitutional Law PDF Author: Jennifer Friesen
Publisher: MICHIE
ISBN:
Category : Actions and defenses
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description


Understanding State Constitutions

Understanding State Constitutions PDF Author: G. Alan Tarr
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691070667
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
The distinctiveness of state constitutionalism -- Explaining state constitutional development -- Eighteenth-century state constitutionalism -- Nineteenth-century state constitutionalism -- Twentieth-century state constitutionalism -- State constitutional interpretation.

State Constitutions of the United States

State Constitutions of the United States PDF Author: Robert Maddex
Publisher: CQ Press
ISBN: 1452267375
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 574

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Book Description
Newly updated and reflecting the diversity of state policies and the issues that are important to them, State Constitutions of the United States collects, explains, and offers comparison of each of the fifty state constitutions. Its in-depth explorations and easy-to-follow structure reveal individual state priorities, the significance of state constitutions and their impact on issues that affect the day-to-day lives of citizens. This major revision incorporates specific details and describes trends and patterns in state constitutions, drawing on over 380 amendments passed since the first edition of this resource was published in 1998. These amendments address, at the state level, important issues that are also being debated on the national level, such as freedom of religion (Alabama), tobacco (Arizona), death penalty (Florida), and same-sex marriage in a number of states. The new edition addresses all of these issues and more, in well-organized state-by-state chapters-including a new chapter on Washington, DC. Beyond the extensive state-by-state coverage, this resource provides further insights through supplemental materials, including an overview of state constitutions, comparative tables, "new rights" such as privacy and victim′s rights, "special provisions" such as the environment and home rule, and much more. This is the only one-volume resource on state constitutions designed to inform non-specialists, including students, non-constitutional scholars, and interested citizens, about the variety, influence, and continual revision and innovation that define state constitutions in the U.S. A wide range of libraries, including those that serve college students, AP high school students, and the general public, will want to update their collections with this unique and essential reference work.

The Maryland State Constitution

The Maryland State Constitution PDF Author: Dan Friedman
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199778698
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 462

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Book Description
The Maryland State Constitution is the only comprehensive analysis of Maryland's constitution. Dan Friedman provides an outstanding historical account of the state's governing charter along with an in-depth, section-by-section analysis of the entire constitution, detailing the many signifigant changes that have been made since its initial drafting in 1867. In-depth commentary on the constitutional interpretation offers tremendous political and economic insight into each of the constitution's provisions. Previously published by Greenwood, this title has been brought back in to circulation by Oxford University Press with new verve. Re-printed with standardization of content organization in order to facilitate research across the series, this title, as with all titles in the series, is set to join the dynamic revision cycle of The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

The Florida State Constitution

The Florida State Constitution PDF Author: Talbot D'Alemberte
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190464062
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 431

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Book Description
With an introduction that traces the long constitutional history of Florida, Talbot D'Alemberte provides a thorough understanding of Florida's state constitutional history. He includes an in-depth, article-by-article analysis of the entire constitution, detailing the many significant changes that have been made since its initial drafting. This treatment, along with a table of cases, index, and bibliography, provides an unsurpassed reference guide for students, scholars, and practitioners of Florida's constitution. This second edition provides analysis of Florida's State Constitution with updated commentary focusing on the many court decisions rendered since the 1990s, summarizing the state's current jurisprudence and the increasing use of Florida's many methods of Constitution Amendment, including initiative, Legislative, Constitution Revision Commission and Tax and Budget Reform Commission adopted proposals. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the State, Territories, and Colonies Now Or Heretofore Forming the United States of America: Kentucky ; Massachusetts

The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the State, Territories, and Colonies Now Or Heretofore Forming the United States of America: Kentucky ; Massachusetts PDF Author: Francis Newton Thorpe
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Constitutional history
Languages : en
Pages : 676

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Book Description


The American State Constitutional Tradition

The American State Constitutional Tradition PDF Author: John J. Dinan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
The first comprehensive study of all 114 state constitutional conventions for which there are records--from Connecticut's in 1818 to New Hampshire's in 1984. By integrating state constitution-makers with the federal constitutional tradition, this path-breaking work yields a superior understanding of how American citizens have chosen to govern themselves.

51 Imperfect Solutions

51 Imperfect Solutions PDF Author: Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190866063
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
When we think of constitutional law, we invariably think of the United States Supreme Court and the federal court system. Yet much of our constitutional law is not made at the federal level. In 51 Imperfect Solutions, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton argues that American Constitutional Law should account for the role of the state courts and state constitutions, together with the federal courts and the federal constitution, in protecting individual liberties. The book tells four stories that arise in four different areas of constitutional law: equal protection; criminal procedure; privacy; and free speech and free exercise of religion. Traditional accounts of these bedrock debates about the relationship of the individual to the state focus on decisions of the United States Supreme Court. But these explanations tell just part of the story. The book corrects this omission by looking at each issue-and some others as well-through the lens of many constitutions, not one constitution; of many courts, not one court; and of all American judges, not federal or state judges. Taken together, the stories reveal a remarkably complex, nuanced, ever-changing federalist system, one that ought to make lawyers and litigants pause before reflexively assuming that the United States Supreme Court alone has all of the answers to the most vexing constitutional questions. If there is a central conviction of the book, it's that an underappreciation of state constitutional law has hurt state and federal law and has undermined the appropriate balance between state and federal courts in protecting individual liberty. In trying to correct this imbalance, the book also offers several ideas for reform.

The New Jersey State Constitution

The New Jersey State Constitution PDF Author: Professor Robert F. Williams
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199995974
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The New Jersey State Constitution is a completely revised new edition that provide an outstanding constitutional and historical account of the state's governing charter. In addition to an overview of New Jersey's constitutional history, it provides an in-depth, section-by-section analysis of the entire constitution, detailing the many significant changes that have been made since its initial drafting. This treatment, along with a table of cases, index, and bibliography provides an unsurpassed reference guide for students, scholars, and practitioners of New Jersey's constitution. State constitutions perform different functions and contain different provisions from the more-familiar U.S. Constitution. The book first outlines the historical development of New Jersey's state constitution from 1776 to the present and explains the highlights of the process of state constitutional development, leading to the current New Jersey constitution. Next, each section of the current constitution is analyzed, including its origins, general intent and purpose, and important judicial interpretations illustrating the types of situations in which the section can come into play, including references to key academic analysis of each section. Careful explanation is provided, with illustrations from cases, of the complex and evolving relationship between rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and rights guaranteed by the New Jersey constitution. In many instances, New Jersey's rights can be more protective than those included in the Federal Constitution. Finally, the book provides a thorough bibliographical essay reviewing the evolution of the New Jersey constitution. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.