Are there pocket-sized state constitutions?

[-]

Deolater@reddit

State constitutions tend to be considerably longer, I think. They go into detail about all sorts of things what the US Constitution doesn't.

Georgia's constitution is like 90 pages and I don't think we're unusual

[-]

CFBCoachGuy@reddit

Alabama has a state constitution longer than nearly half of all national constitutions put together. It’s like 350,000 words

[-]

Deolater@reddit

So does Alabama have any actual laws, or do they just shove it all in the constitution?

Amendment 635: Phase-out of Supernumerary Programs in Covington County; Participation in Employees' Retirement System.

[-]

A lot of thing have to be added as amendments. The state constitution was written in 1901 specifically to enshrine white supremacy into law. One of the ways they did that was to severely limit home rule. As a result, cities and counties very often need statewide approval to make changes.

In 2022 we amended the constitution to remove blatantly racist language, but didn't remove all of the laws that were based on racism.

[-]

danhm@reddit

They are much less important legal documents, without the historical precedence of the federal one.

[-]

No-Lunch4249@reddit

I think this gets at something important thst a lot of other responders basically glossed over by saying something along the lines of "no one would want that"

The US Constitution is our supreme legal document. All other law goes back to it in one way or another. If you're a follower of the civic religion than the US constitution is your Bible. State constitutions don't have that much gravitas

[-]

LopsidedGrapefruit11@reddit

You can get the pocket size California Constitution from some representatives. I want to say it’s also available for download on the secretary of state’s website.
I doubt as many people have the state versions as the country ones outside of a school setting.

[-]

GoCardinal07@reddit

I don't think it's reasonable to call that book "pocket size" - it's a normal size book.

[-]

Ok_Orchid1004@reddit

Nobody would never want a copy, full sized or pocket sized, or want to read it.

[-]

breaststroker42@reddit

I have them all in my pocket….because i can look them up with my phone. Otherwise its not something i’ve ever heard of.

[-]

Round-Lab73@reddit

Americans don't tend to fetishize state constitutions the same way they do the federal (which is fair, since the federal government has much more influence). I don't think there'd be a market

[-]

bananapanqueques@reddit

Texas has entered the chat. 🤠

[-]

LongOrganization7838@reddit

States are very individualistic, its also SIGNIFICANTLY easier and more frequent to amend state constitutions than the U.S., for example my home state of Utah has a preamble and 22 articles, BUT its been ammended 134 since 1896 with 2003 having 21 ammendments by itself and 38 ammendments in 1993

So if anyone wanted a pocket Utah constitution they'd have to get a LOT of updated copies

[-]

TiFist@reddit

That assumes states are in any way organized or standardized. The Texas state constitution has over 500 amendments. "Pocket" is not a reasonable goal, nor would anyone care about thousands upon thousands of words of legal-ese.

[-]

MuppetManiac@reddit

Texas abuses its constitutional amendments shamelessly.

[-]

NoCarpet9834@reddit

The Texas Constitution is 285 pages or so long. The easiest way to carry a pocket-sized version is electronically on a cell phone.

[-]

sail4sea@reddit

I tried to put it on a floppy disk once. It took the whole disk and it was in TXT format.

[-]

PhysicsEagle@reddit

I have a pocket Kansas Constitution. It’s a bit bigger than the standard pocket US constitution but not by much

[-]

Salty_Permit4437@reddit

I haven’t seen one for my state but maybe it does exist

[-]

DrBlankslate@reddit

We don't need a pocket-sized copy of our state constitution.

[-]

PtZamboat@reddit

Pocket sized? Sort of. All states can be found on the pocket sized device we have in our hands. But actual paper couldn’t possibly exist. California alone has 190-something pages.

[-]

the-quibbler@reddit

This seems like the kind of ODP business that might be able to generate a little cashish.

[-]

HarlequinKOTF@reddit

For some maybe but they see amendments way more often than the US constitution.

My state has... checks notes... 16 articles and has been amended over 150 times since 1848. The published version is 19 pages so not outside the realm of reason.

[-]

Do not report comments because they disagree with your point of view.
Do not insult other users. Personal attacks are not permitted.
Do not use hate speech. You will be banned, permanently.
Comments made with the intent to push an agenda, push misinformation, soapbox, sealion, or argue in bad faith are not acceptable. If you can’t discuss a topic in good faith and in a respectful manner, do not comment. Political disagreement does not constitute pushing an agenda.

If you see any comments that violate the rules, please report it and move on!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.