Magnificent Failure Revisited: Modern Maryland Constitutional Law from 1967 to 1998

Abstract

On May 14, 1968, Maryland voters rejected a proposed new state constitution. In the immediate aftermath, John P. Wheeler, Jr. and Melissa Kinsey analyzed this proposed constitution and described its defeat as a "magnificent failure"; this phrase captures both the extraordinary
efforts and visionary proposals of the framers, and the failure of the electorate to approve it. Thirty years later, it is appropriate to reassess the proposals, analyze the continuing effects of their rejection, and examine Maryland's subsequent constitutional developments. This Article assesses the success or failure of the Maryland Constitutional Convention in light of the later adoption -- by constitutional amendment, statute, or regulation -- of many of the important innovations proposed in the 1967-1968 constitution.