The Extra Hurdle in State Courts to Prove a Statute Violates the U.S. Constitution

Many states require a litigant challenging a statute as violating the U.S. Constitution to prove the statute is unconstitutional “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Cases, Courts, and Constitutions Across the 50 States

Commentary

Resuscitating State Damages Remedies Against Federal Officials

There are forceful legal arguments that individuals can use state civil rights statutes to sue federal employees who violate the U.S. Constitution. 

A Win for Georgia's Gullah Geechee

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that an island community descended from enslaved people could move forward with a referendum to overturn zoning changes that they argue will price them out of their homes.

Pennsylvania’s Radical Constitution: An Experiment in the Making

From an early embrace of popular sovereignty to current voting decisions that make national news, Pennsylvania’s constitution has long reached beyond the state itself.
 

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A project of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law