State Constitutional Politics Governing by Amendment in the American States

John Dinan, "State Constitutional Politics: Governing by Amendment in the American States"
English | ISBN: 022653281X | 2018 | 368 pages | EPUB | 568 KB
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.