The Rhode Island Constitution: Royal Charter and a Modern Constitutional Convention
The Ocean State’s constitution is notable for protection of its surrounding waters; an update to the document in the 1980s included more than 40 amendments.
Cases, Courts, and Constitutions Across the 50 States
Pennsylvania's Groundbreaking Ruling Limiting Mandatory Life Sentences
Breaking with decades of precedent, the court ruled that mandatory life without parole for felony murder violates the state constitution’s ban on “cruel punishments.”
State Efforts to Allow Lawsuits Against Federal Officials Gain Speed
The approach of the proposed laws is legally sound, textually grounded, and more viable than many assume.
Behind the Movement Toward Humane Punishment
A recent Pennsylvania decision barring mandatory life without parole for felony murder is part of an accelerating trend toward broad state constitutional protections for people in the criminal justice system.
Kentucky’s Constitution: From Open Frontier to Fiercely Independent
The state constitution’s strong separation of powers language was written by Thomas Jefferson; he wished the U.S. Constitution had the same.
Commentary
A Conversation with New York Judge Wavny Toussaint
The first Trinidadian-American judge elected in New York spoke about mentorship, judicial service, and the impact courts have on everyday New Yorkers.
North Carolina Supreme Court Throws Out Decades-Old Right-to-Education Case
The decision, which comes after a 2022 change in the composition of the court and reverses the court’s earlier holding in the same case, rests on dubious grounds.