The Democracy Principle in State Constitutions

75 Pages Posted: 23 Jul 2020 Last revised: 8 Apr 2021

See all articles by Jessica Bulman-Pozen

Jessica Bulman-Pozen

Columbia University - Law School

Miriam Seifter

University of Wisconsin Law School

Date Written: May 5, 2020

Abstract

In recent years, antidemocratic behavior has rippled across the nation. Lame-duck state legislatures have stripped popularly elected governors of their powers; extreme partisan gerrymanders have warped representative institutions; state officials have nullified popularly adopted initiatives. The federal constitution offers few resources to address these problems, and ballot-box solutions cannot work when antidemocratic actions undermine elections themselves. Commentators increasingly decry the rule of the many by the few.

This Article argues that a vital response has been neglected. State constitutions embody a deep commitment to democracy. Unlike the federal constitution, they were drafted — and have been repeatedly rewritten and amended — to empower popular majorities. In text, history, and structure alike, they express a commitment to popular sovereignty, majority rule, and political equality. We shorthand this commitment the "democracy principle" and describe its development and current potential.

The Article’s aims are both theoretical and practical. At the level of theory, we offer a new view of American constitutionalism, one in which the majoritarian commitment of states’ founding documents complements the anti-majoritarian tilt of the national document. Such complementarity is an unspoken premise of the familiar claim that the federal constitution may temper excesses and abuses of state majoritarianism. We focus on the other half of the equation: state constitutions may ameliorate national democratic shortcomings. At the level of practice, we show how the democracy principle can inform a number of contemporary conflicts. Reimagining recent cases concerning electoral interference, political entrenchment, and more, we argue that it is time to reclaim the state constitutional commitment to democracy.

Keywords: constitutional law, democracy, federalism, states, gerrymandering, popular sovereignty, majority rule, political equality

Suggested Citation

Bulman-Pozen, Jessica and Seifter, Miriam, The Democracy Principle in State Constitutions (May 5, 2020). Michigan Law Review (2021), Columbia Public Law Research Paper No. 14-665, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3593788

Jessica Bulman-Pozen (Contact Author)

Columbia University - Law School ( email )

435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10025
United States

Miriam Seifter

University of Wisconsin Law School ( email )

975 Bascom Mall
Madison, WI 53706
United States

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