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The California Constitution is the document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. The original constitution, adopted in 1849 by the California Republic prior to California's attaining U.S. statehood in 1850, was superseded by the current constitution, which was ratified in 1879.
Amendments and revisions
Since 1911, the height of the U.S. Progressive Era, the California Constitution has been amended over 425 times.
Differences from other constitutions
Unlike most constitutions, the California Constitution is quite long at 110 pages. The length has been attributed to a variety of factors, such as lack of faith in elected officials and the fact that most initiatives take the form of a constitutional amendment. Several amendments involved the authorization of the creation of state government agencies, including the State Compensation Insurance Fund and the State Bar of California; the purpose of such amendments was to insulate the agencies from being attacked as an unconstitutionally broad exercise of the police power.
Many of the individual rights clauses in the state constitution have been construed as providing rights broader than the Bill of Rights in the federal constitution. An excellent example is the Pruneyard Shopping Center case.
Original Signers of the 1849 Constitution
References
- California Policy Seminar brief: The Revision of the California Constitution
- California Performance Review
See also
External links
- Search State Constitution searchable index
- California State Archives - 1849 State Constitution (text)
California law | Government of California | State constitutions of the United States
"California Constitution"