Latest Constitutions News

Today in History: September 17, U.S. Constitution signed

Sep. 17, 2024 00:01 AM EDT

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 17, the 261st day of 2024. There are 105 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in...

Wisconsin's voter-approved cash bail measures will stand under judge's ruling

Sep. 16, 2024 18:06 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Stricter cash bail measures approved by voters last year will stand despite procedural flaws, a judge ruled Monday. The decision from Dane County Circuit Judge Rhonda Lanford came in a lawsuit filed by criminal justice advocates over two constitutional...

Vote South Dakota forum aims to shed light on 'complicated' election

Sep. 16, 2024 15:07 PM EDT

South Dakota News Watch (AP) — Trina Lapp, an 18-year-old Milbank native who attends Dakota Wesleyan University, doesn’t view politics or the upcoming election as an afterthought. She’s digging in. “I think it’s important for young people to be involved and learn about the...

Mexico will amend its constitution this weekend to require all judges to be elected

Sep. 12, 2024 22:10 PM EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico is poised to amend its constitution this weekend to require all judges to be elected as part of a judicial overhaul championed by the outgoing president but slammed by critics as a blow to the country’s rule of law. The amendment passed Mexico’s...

Fight to restore Black voters' strength could dismantle Florida's Fair Districts Amendment

Sep. 12, 2024 15:49 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A coalition of voting rights groups is pointing to a voter-approved amendment to argue Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the state constitution when he dismantled a Black congressional district, but if they lose the case, the Fair Districts Amendment itself...

Ruling blocks big changes to Utah citizen initiatives but lawmakers vow appeal

Sep. 12, 2024 14:03 PM EDT

Utah voters won’t decide this November on a proposal to amend the state constitution that would let state lawmakers rewrite voter-approved ballot measures but the question will remain on ballots with just weeks to go until the election, a judge ruled Thursday. Legislative leaders...

Court won't allow public money to be spent on private schools in South Carolina

Sep. 11, 2024 17:16 PM EDT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's law allowing parents to spend taxpayer money on private schools violates the constitution, the state's highest court ruled Wednesday. The 3-2 ruling prohibits paying tuition or fees with “Education Scholarship Trust Funds," but it does...

Abortion-rights measure will be on Missouri's November ballot, court rules

Sep. 10, 2024 17:52 PM EDT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A measure undoing Missouri’s near-total abortion ban will appear on the ballot in November, the state’s high court ruled Tuesday, marking the latest victory in a nationwide fight to have voters weigh in on abortion laws since federal rights to the procedure ended in...

Hawaii voters asked to ensure protection of same-sex marriage

Sep. 10, 2024 15:15 PM EDT

In November 1998, Hawaii adopted a constitutional amendment giving the Legislature the power to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples after it received a clear majority in the election. Twenty-six years later, voters will have an opportunity to reverse that decision, which has...

Data indicates voting by noncitizens is rare. Republicans are pressing measures to make sure of it

Sep. 09, 2024 16:11 PM EDT

Only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in this fall's election for president and other top offices. While that's nothing new, the potential for noncitizens to register or vote has been receiving a lot of attention lately. Citing an influx of immigrants in recent years at the...