The Declaration of Independence and State Constitutions

Join the Dayton Lawyers Chapter for a lunch event!

Featuring:

• Professor Nathaniel Fouch, Assistant Professor of Law, Capital University Law School

Registration: $15

(includes lunch)

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is also the 250th anniversary of the first state constitutions. While the United States Constitution does not quote the Declaration, four-fifths of state constitutions today guarantee rights mirroring or approximating the Declaration’s famous language about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, the right to abolish government, and the purpose of government. Professor Fouch will explore the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the state constitutions, including the ways in which state courts have utilized the Declaration in interpreting their own constitutions, how interpretation of the Declaration in this context has changed over time, and how some states, beyond merely quoting the Declaration, were required, as a condition of their admission to the Union to adopt state constitutions which incorporated the principles of the Declaration.

CLE:

Accredited in Ohio for 1.00 General Hours.
CLE written materials are available here.

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.