Exam 3: State Constitutions

Between 1960 and 1980, every state altered its fundamental law in some respect, and new or substantially revised constitutions were put into operation in more than half the states.

All of the formal procedures for constitutional change in the states involve two basic steps. What are these two steps?

Half the states allow constitutional amendments to be made using direct citizen initiatives.

The U.S. Constitution contains about 8,700 words, while the typical state constitution is much longer in length.

Constitutional conventions are usually dominated by delegates who are

Direct initiatives are distinguished by the fact that

Judicial review is the power of the U.S. Supreme Court or a state supreme court to declare unconstitutional actions of the executive and legislative branches as well as decisions of lower courts.

What decade saw the highest level of constitutional activity in U.S. history, much of it in the southern states?

Compare the informal and formal methods for making constitutional changes to a state's constitution and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The positive-law constitutional tradition would BEST be exemplified by a constitution with

Delaware is the only state where the voters do NOT approve amendments to its constitution.

The creation of executive boards and commissions during the Jacksonian-era was intended to expand opportunities for public participation in state government and to limit the powers of the governor, but instead has led to

Which of the following statements about the influential Kestnbaum Commission is true?

Legislative supremacy remains the norm in most states.

State constitutions are generally shorter in length than the U.S. Constitution.

Which of the following statements about the Model State Constitution is true?

Following the War of Independence, the former colonies used special revolutionary conventions or legislative assemblies to draft their new constitutions.

In 1955, the Kestnbaum Commission devised the model state constitution, which many states used as a model in revising their own constitutions.

Which state has the longest state constitution?

_______ , which is the most common manner of making formal changes to state constitutions, is permitted in all fifty states and accounts for 90 percent of all constitutional revisions.