LibGuides: State Constitutional Law: State-Specific Research

Books

Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States
Call Number: E-book
This series from Oxford University Press is accessible in an e-book format. Each volume covers a specific state and includes two parts, one on the state's constitutional history and the other providing commentary on the state's constitution. All volumes also include a bibliography of additional resources, and for some states, tables, such as a table of proposed constitutional amendments and votes.
Reference Guides to the State Constitutions of The United States
Call Number: Law Library Stacks and Iowa Wing, call number varies
Each volume in this series covers a specific state. The Drake Law Library owns print copies for selected states.

Catalog Subject Headings
Use these subject headings to search for books in SuperSearch, the library's online catalog. Simply replace [state] with the name of the state you are researching (e.g. Constitutional Law Georgia).

Constitutions [state]
Constitutional Law [state]
Constitutional History [state]

Websites

NBER/Maryland State Constitutions Project
Contains most of the roughly 150 state constitutions adopted since 1776. Search by state, article number, or section number and view any schedules or preambles associated with a particular state constitution.
50 State Constitutional Research Guide
Scroll down the landing page to the box titled 50 States. Select a state on the map and the guide will provide a link to the state's constitution, information about the amendment process, and pending (and sometimes historical) amendments. Maintained by Indiana University's Jerome Hall Law Library.

SuperSearch

Find articles, books, and more

(Note: additional content available in other databases.)

SuperSearch provides access to many full-text online materials and all of the Drake libraries print holdings. For print materials, SuperSearch indicates whether Law or Cowles owns an item, its location and call number, and if it is checked out or on the shelf.

Search for journal articles from the main or advanced interface or by clicking the Journal Finder link.

See the library's SuperSearch guide for instructions and tips, including how to find an article by citation.

Databases

State Constitutions Illustrated This link opens in a new window
State Constitutions Illustrated is a collection of the constitutions of the 50 states of the United States, together with related documents and resources. It contains the text of every constitution that has been in force for every state and includes an extensive collection of documents from before statehood.

Lexis Constitutions
Westlaw Statutes
The statutes database for each jurisdiction includes the constitution.

50-State Surveys

Before compiling state laws on a particular topic yourself, check to see if a compilation already exists. Updating a pre-existing compilation will be much faster than starting from scratch.

Subject Compilations of State Laws This link opens in a new window
Library location: Ready Reference KF1 .N94
This excellent starting point lists by subject articles, books, government documents, looseleafs, appellate court opinions, court briefs, and Web sites that compile state laws on several hundred topics. Each listing includes a brief annotation noting the location and scope of the cited compilation. Issued annually, the database is cumulative, but each book has only new contents.

Chart Builders (Bloomberg)
Links to all areas of law where you can build a guided 50-state survey.
50-State Surveys (Westlaw)
“Surveys that provide access to state statutes covering controversial topics of law.”
50-State Regulatory Surveys (Westlaw)
"Access to state regulations covering controversial topics of law.”
50 State Surveys (Lexis)
Includes statutory and regulatory surveys.
NCSL 50-State Law Surveys
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has a database that tracks legislation on a variety of topics.
National Survey of State Laws
Law Library Reserve KF386 .N38 (older editions in the stacks)
Comparisons of current state laws on a variety of common subjects, such as abortion, employment discrimination, child custody and interest rates.
State Statutes by Topic
LII offers links to state statutes on various topics.
Statutes Compared: A U.S., Canadian, Multinational Research Guide to Statutes by Subject
Law Library Stacks KF1 .S353
Provides research tips for locating published statute comparisons as well as an annotated listing of statute comparisons by topic.

State Constitutional Law: State-Specific Research

Books

Websites

SuperSearch

Databases

50-State Surveys

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