God in the State Constitutions Advertisement The subject of God in the Constitution arises from time to time, and this site deals with the topic specifically elsewhere. However, another question also arises: how is God referenced, if at all, in state constitutions? This list is not guaranteed to be exhaustive, but it attempts to be.…

1999 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 1999. 12/30/99 Judge denies restraining order against DVD copying software In what defendants are calling a blow for free speech and open software, a California judge…

2007 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2007. 12/13/07 Bush vetoes another children’s health insurance bill Calling it a virtual duplicate of a bill he vetoed just two months ago, President Bush today…

2006 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2006. 12/26/06 President Ford dies President Gerald Ford, 38th president of the United States, died today. Ford rose to office in the wake of the Watergate…

2005 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2005. 12/20/05 Pennsylvania court rebukes Intelligent Design instruction In a strongly-worded judgement against supporters of Intelligent Design, a Pennsylvania federal court judge today struck down a…

2004 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2004. 12/13/04 Edwards gets one electoral vote – for President Minnesota officials were not quite sure what to do when John Edwards’s name appeared on an…

2003 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2003. 12/15/03 New rules for automotive arrests set by Court A unanimous Supreme Court authorized arrest of all passengers in a car when drugs are found…

2002 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2002. 12/24/02 Bush issues pardons President George Bush exercised his pardon power for the first time today, pardoning seven persons convicted of various crimes since 1957.…

2001 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2001. 12/10/01 Rights of parolees restricted by Supreme Court The Supreme Court today ruled that if a prisoner agrees to warrantless searches during the course of…

2000 News Archive This page is an archive of articles presented on the Current News page of the USConstitution.net site. On this page are articles that were posted in 2000. 12/28/00 2000 census figures released The U.S. Census has released state population totals from the 2000 enumeration. Eight states gained representatives in the House under…

Constitutional Topic: Presidential Terms Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns presidential terms – the beginning and ending of the President’s service. The primary sources for information about presidential…

Constitutional Topic: Political Systems Advertisement This page concerns Political Systems. The Constitution describes the U.S. political system. This document will describe political systems in general, and then use specific examples of real-world political systems. In the course of creating this page, Wikipedia was an invaluable resource. Another primary source was Comparative Politics by Gregory Mahler…

Constitutional Topic: Presidential Line of Succession Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Presidential Line of Succession. The Line of Succession is mentioned in two places in the…

Constitutional Topic: Student Rights The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Student Rights. Generally speaking, the Constitution applies equally to everyone, regardless of age, color, race, religion, or any other…

Constitutional Topic: Slavery Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Slavery. Slavery is mentioned in two main places in the Constitution; in Article 1, Section 2 Clause 3, and…

Constitutional Topic: Separation of Powers The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Separation of Powers. The concept of Separation of Powers is embodied in the Constitution in the 1st…

Constitutional Topic: Rights and Responsibilities The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities. Generally speaking, governments are set up to make society a better, more orderly place…

Constitutional Topic: The Constitution and Religion Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Constitution and Religion. Religion appears is especially contained in the 1st Amendment. Source material for…

Constitutional Topic: Death of a Presidential Candidate Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the how the Constitution handles the death of a presidential candidate. This topic is handled…

Constitutional Topic: The Preamble The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns The Preamble. The first paragraph of the Constitution provides the context for the Constitution — the “why” of the…

Constitutional Topic: Presidential Disability The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Presidential Disability. Presidential Disability is mentioned in the 25th Amendment. The Topic Page for the Presidential Line of Succession…

Constitutional Topic: Presidential Campaigns Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Presidential Campaign Process. The Constitution details how the President and Vice President are chosen are in Article…

Constitutional Topic: Presidential Pardons The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Presidential Pardons. Pardons are mentioned in the Constitution at Article 2, Section 2. A reference of particular use in…

Constitutional Topic: Rewriting the Constitution The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the ideas for rewriting the United States Constitution through history. Amendment of the Constitution is detailed in Article…

Constitutional Topic: Martial Law Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Martial Law. Martial law is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, but the suspension of habeas corpus is…

Constitutional Topic: Military Justice Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Military Justice. Military justice is not mentioned specifically in the Constitution, but can be found in Article 1,…

Constitutional Topic: Marriage The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Marriage. Though not mentioned in the Constitution, marriage has become a constitutional hot-button topic in recent years. Source material for…

Constitutional Topic: How a Bill Becomes a Law Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Laws – or, more specifically, how a bill becomes a law. The general process…

Constitutional Topic: Official Language Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns an Official Language for the United States. No official language is mentioned or contemplated in the Constitution. Many…

Constitutional Topic: Constitutional Interpretation The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the various interpretations of the Constitution that have evolved over time. The Constitution is many things to many people.…

Constitutional Topic: Presidential Inaugurations The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Presidential Inaugurations. The inauguration of the President is mentioned in the Constitution in Article 2, Section 1, in the…

Constitutional Topic: The Government The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Government. The Constitution of the United States provides a basic framework for the government of the United States.…

Constitutional Topic: Federalism The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Federalism. Federalism is not mentioned explicitly in the Constitution, but federalism is one of the many concepts that the Constitution…

Constitutional Topic: The Federalists and Anti-Federalists The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Federalists versus the Anti-Federalists and the struggle for ratification. Generally speaking, the federalists were in favor…

Constitutional Topic: The Electoral College Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Electoral College. The Electoral College is embodied in the Constitution in Article 2, Section 1, and…

Constitutional Topic: Due Process The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Due Process. Due Process is mentioned in two places in the Constitution; in the 5th Amendment and in the…

Constitutional Topic: The Draft Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the draft. The draft is seen in the Constitution at Article 1, Section 8, Clause 12. The Constitution…

Constitutional Topic: The Declaration of Independence Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Declaration of Independence, the text of which is available at this site. The final, signed…

Constitutional Topic: Checks and Balances The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Constitutional Checks and Balances. The entire Constitution, especially Articles 1, 2, and 3. Source material for this topic…

Constitutional Topic: Citizenship The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Citizenship. Citizenship is mentioned in Article 1, Section 2, Article 1, Section 3, Article 1, Section 8, Article 2, Section…

Constitutional Topic: The Census Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the census. The Census is mentioned in Article 1, Section 2 and in passing in the 14th Amendment.…

Constitutional Topic: The Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Convention Timeline may also be of interest. A list of members of…

Constitutional Topic: The Cabinet Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Cabinet, the group of people that head the various departments of the Executive Branch and to whom…

Constitutional Topic: The Bill of Rights The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is the common name for Amendments 1 through 9…

Constitutional Topic: Articles of Confederation Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the Articles of Confederation. The Articles are available on this site. The Articles of Confederation is the…

Constitutional Topic: Ratification Conventions The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Amendment Ratification Conventions. Article 5 details a couple of ways that an amendment to the Constitution can be proposed…

Constitutional Topic: The Second Amendment Advertisement The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns The Second Amendment. This topic has a home directly in the Constitution, at the 2nd Amendment. A…

Constitutional Topics The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. Topics are added and revised on an on-going basis. If you have an idea for a topic, let the let the Webmaster know. The following…

Current News This page will attempt to distill all current news and issues about the Constitution into a quick, easy-to-read format. Note that because the Court and the Congress meet in cycles, there will be periods of activity and inactivity on this page. If you are aware of any important news missing from this page,…