The Virginia State Constitution

In The Virginia State Constitution, John Dinan analyzes the history and development of the Virginia constitution and undertakes a detailed treatment of the evolving interpretation of each section. In it, he contends that few states have had more opportunities than Virginia to engage in constitutional revision, and, in the process, to debate fundamental political questions about the role of state government.

The Virginia State Constitution examines constitutional amendments, court decisions, attorney general opinions, and legislative deliberations bearing on the development and interpretation of the Virginia Constitution. The book contains a detailed history of the Virginia Constitution, with particular attention to key moments in the state's constitutional development, from the 1776 Constitution through the current 1971 Constitution. The book also includes a provision-by-provision commentary on the evolution and meaning of each section of the Virginia Constitution. The second edition brings this material up to date through mid-2013 and analyzes a number of constitutional developments with important implications for governance. Among the recent amendments covered in this volume is an amendment barring recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions, and an amendment that undertook a major revision of the provision limiting the eminent domain power. The book examines several recent state court decisions of note, including the state supreme court's first interpretation of the provision guaranteeing "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" and various court decisions limiting the power to levy taxes. The book also analyzes recent attorney general opinions with significant implications for legislative appropriations to non-profit groups, along with various other legislative initiatives. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

The West Virginia State Constitution provides a review of the history and development of West Virginia's Constitution and an updated section-by-section analysis of its meaning. The State has had two constitutions, the original that was ratified in 1863 and the current one that was initially adopted in 1872. Both were rooted in the several Virginia Constitutions that preceded them but also included major reforms that emerged out of ongoing disputes between the western and eastern regions of antebellum Virginia. Amendments in the thirties and between 1968 and 1982 modernized the Constitution. This history is recounted in Part I of the book. This second edition provides section-by-section analysis that describes the origins and evolutions of the provisions and, more importantly, summarizes the interpretations given to them by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals over more than 150 years of the State's existence. The text reduces the case law to readily grasped concepts and cites the leading cases. A useful and convenient table of cases is provided, and a bibliography to facilitate more extensive or specific research is included. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

John Dinan, Zachary T. Smith Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Wake Forest University, analyzes the history and development of the Virginia Constitution and undertakes a detailed treatment of the evolving interpretation of each section, as seen in constitutional conventions, revisions commissions, judicial decisions, attorney general opinions, and legislative and gubernatorial deliberations. He also reveals that few states have made more opportunities that Virginia to engage in constitutional revision and, in the process, to debate fundamental political questions, whether in regard to the rights and liberties to which citizens are entitled, the extent of popular participation in governance, or the means of structuring governmental institutions. John Dinan analyzes the history and development of the Virginia Constitution and understakes a detailed treament of the evolving interpretation of each section, as seen in constitutional conventions, revisions commissions, judicial decisions, attorney general opinions, and legislative and gubernatorial deliberations. He also reveals that few states have made more opportunities than Virginia to engage in constitutional revision and, in the process, to debate fundamental political questions, whether in regard to the rights and liberties to which citizens are entitled, the extent of popular participation in governance, or the means of structuring governmental institutions. The first part of the book provides an overview of the development of the Virginia Constitution, and analyzes the principal debates that took place in the Conventions of 1776, 1829-30, 1850-51, 1861, 1864, 1867-68, and 1901-02, the Limited Conventions of 1945 and 1956, and the Revision Commissions of 1927 and 1969. The second part of the book undertakes a detailed treatment of the evolving interpretation of each Section of the Virginia Constitution, as seen in the relevant judicial decisions, attorney general opinions, and legislative and gubernatorial deliberations. Finally, this volume includes a bibliographical essay and table of cases that can assist lawyers, scholars, and students in conducting further research in particular areas.