The Arizona Constitution is one of the most important documents in the state of Arizona. The Arizona Constitution is the governing document of the state. It affects all the counties municipalities/corporations, and primary and secondary schools. This is a living document and was created for the people by the people. On February 14 1912 Arizona become a state, and the Arizona Constitution was born. The Arizona Constitution is made of 28 articles that give rights and laws to the citizens. The constitution gives instructions for how that state shall be ran. The state is made up of three branches of government, the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branch. All the branches make sure that no branch has too much power. The state also has a direct government that gives more rights to the people. The constitution also can be amended if the people feel it is needed. The Arizona constitution is a governing document over the people, but the people do have power over the laws and government of their state.
Arizona is made up of fifteen counties with similar governments required to follow the basic design specified in the state constitution. This presents challenges because of the various sizes and make up of each county. The counties of Arizona follow the oldest pattern of government dividing power between an elected leader and many individually elected officials. The leader of county government is the board of supervisors. They vary in size depending on the size of the county. The rest of the officials include a sheriff, county attorney, recorder, treasurer, assessor, superior court clerk, and a superintendent of schools (McClory, 2001). The traditional form of government has been blamed for many of Arizona’s counties troubles....
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...living document fulfill the big picture that the founders had in mind when they created it. Given the power, the citizens of Arizona have the ability to reshape the constitution into whatever they need it to be in their state.
Works Cited
McClory, T. Understanding the Arizona Constitution, The University of Arizona Press, 2001
Arizona State Legislature. (2009). Arizona Constitution Article 13. Retrieved on March 14,
2012, from: http://www.azleg.gov/Constitution.asp?Article=13
Arizona Constitution. (2009) Arizona Constitution Article 11. Retrieved on March 10, 2012
from: http://www.azleg.state.az.us/Constitution.asp?Article=11
Hoffman, Dennis. Arizona State University. January 2009. Retrieved on March 10, 2012 from:
http://www.asu.edu/budgetcuts/documents/Education_Funding_in_Arizona_Constitutional_Requirement_and_the_Empirical_Record.pdf
For many, the Constitution is the document meant too symbolize the freedom and liberty associated with America; over the course of a few years the most important aspects of a nation were created that still affect generations.
The Texas constitution of 1876 is made up of 18 sections including the preamble, each section covering a different aspect of governing decisions and how they should be handled including defining what the powers of the government actually are, managing taxes and revenue, public land and titles, and the different departments of the government branches. It is the sixth constitution that has fallen under Texas since independence in 1836. The constitution was thought of by the 1875 Texas constitutional convention and h...
The first constitution of Texas adopted on March 1, 1836 opens with these words, “We, the people of Texas, in order to form a Government, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense and general welfare; and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves, and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution”. (“Constitution of Republic of Texas” pp. 9-25.) Created in 1836, the first Constitution of the Republic of Texas was born. Fearful of attack by Mexican troops, fifty nine delegates, borrowing from other State Constitutions and the United States Constitution, met at the Washington-on-the-Brazos to write the first Constitution for Texas as an independent unitary body of Government. (Haag and Keith p. 37) Consisting of a preamble, six articles, a schedule, general provisions, and a declaration of rights, the first constitution of Texas incorporated some of the following provisions, “a bicameral legislature, separation of powers, an executive and judiciary branch of government, freedom of religion, recognition of slavery, a system of checks and balances, a definition of a citizen that excluded Africans, Indians, and their descendents, adult male suffrage, property rights, and an amendment process”. (Haag and Keith p. 37)
views one can take. The Constitution can be viewed as a "living document" or in
The Texas Constitution continues to be in a constant state of development as there have been 673 amendments proposed since 1876 and 491 of which have been adopted. This ability for both the Texas Constitution and the citizens themselves to adapt to change shows the strength of each. The Constitution is stronger as a result of the people and the people continue to be stronger as a result of the Constitution. With the authority that was delegated by the Texas Constitution to the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial departments the citizens of the State of Texas have been given a strong foundation upon which to build a tremendous
All members of the Society shall be subject to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Codes of Conduct. Failure to adhere to any College policies may be grounds for the termination of ones membership to the Society upon an affirmative vote of three-quarters of the Society’s active members.
The document I chose to write about is the United States Constitution. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that “governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The “colonies” had to establish a government, which would be the framework for the United States. The purpose of a written constitution is to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787.
The United States Constitution is the law of the United States. It is the foundation of this country and the most important document in its history. It provides the guidelines for the government and citizens of the United States. The Constitution will unquestionably continue to carry us into the 22nd century, just as it has for over two hundred years. The principles of the Constitution remain strong to this day, especially with respect to our government and to the Bill of Rights. To terminate the Constitution will essentially serve to undo two hundred years of history. If anything were to be changed about the Constitution, it would be the expansion of its principles, such as the growth of individuals’ rights.
In 1966, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the landmark case of Miranda v Arizona and declared that, whenever a person is arrested by the police should be informed prior to questioning the right under the Fifth Amendment (" the Fifth Amendment ") not to make statements that might incriminate himself.
There is much debate in political theory about the definition of a constitution. Generally, it is considered as a “single governing document”. If that is the case, then the U.S. Constitution is the oldest in the world (Berry, 2011). The Framers, upon writing it, aimed to create a document that would stand the test of time. Despite changes in population size, racial and religious components, and even the modern day technology, the objective has clearly been achieved. Elkins claims that this is primarily due to its flexibility. Judicial review interprets the document with the rapidly changing society in mind (as cited in Garza, 2008). Many state constitutions, on the other hand, have not survived as long. Since many have been written with specific people and localities in mind, they have not been able to adapt to change well. Louisiana, for example, has had 11 state constitutions. It is common today, for states to consider overhauling their current constitutions (Morris, Henson, & Fackler, 2011).
The Constitution of the United States and the Texas Constitution share many similarities. They also have important differences due to different attitudes about what the role of government should be. It is important to know the limits of the state’s power as it can help us better understand our role as a Texas citizen.
In 1966, American police procedure was changed by what is known today as the Miranda Rights. In 1963, Ernesto Miranda, a twenty three year old Hispanic American with an eighth grade education was arrested for kidnap and rape. (Paddock) He was identified by the victim of the crime in a police lineup. After he was identified, he was taken into police interrogation for two hours. When he was arrested, he was not informed of his Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate himself. He was also not informed of his Sixth Amendment right to have the assistance of an attorney. In the first part of his interrogation, Miranda denied having any involvement in the crime, but after two hours he confessed to the crime in writing. (Street Law)
Miranda vs. Arizona Miranda vs. Arizona was a case that considered the rights of the defendants in criminal cases in regards to the power of the government. Individual rights did not change with the Miranda decision, however it created new constitutional guidelines for law enforcement, attorneys, and the courts. The guidelines ensure that the individual rights of the fifth, sixth and the fourteenth amendment are protected. This decision requires that unless a suspect in custody has been informed of his constitutional rights before questioning, anything he says may not be introduced in a court of law. The decision requires law enforcement officers to follow a code of conduct when arresting suspects.
Unlike many other foundational documents written by other counties, the US Constitution has held strong from the start. The Constitution is at the center of our everyday lives and is the reason we are able to live with the freedom and security that we do. As the Constitutions author, contents, and effect on the US are evaluated it is very clear why America holds so strongly to the foundation the Constitution set in place.
The case of Miranda v. Arizona (384 U.S. 436 [1966]) is one of the most important cases in history. It brought about prominent rights that are still existent today in 2015 regarding interrogations and custody. The results of this case are still seen in the current criminal justice system. However, even though the rights that were given to the system by the court, there are still instances today in which these Miranda rights are violated. The concept of Miranda has evolved a lot from a court case to a code used by law enforcement during custodies and investigations.