The Oklahoma state constitution
Danny Mark Adkison (Author), Lisa McNair Palmer (Author), Oklahoma
""The best constitution in the United States today." That is how William Jennings Bryan described the proposed constitution for Oklahoma in 1907. Bryan was clearly engaging in hyperbole, but he was signifying that the drafters of Oklahoma's constitution were guided in the main by many of the concerns which were highlighted during what historians came to dub the Progressive Era.Although the Progressive mentality did not win every victory (Oklahoma's constitution did not then and does not now include a provision for the recall), Progressives were, in general, pleased with the document. In particular, they praised the provision for the initiative and the referendum. Perhaps they did not anticipate that the initiative provision would, by the end of the 1900s, be used over 140 times to amend the very document they had drafted.One reason for the numerous amendments is the fact that so many details were included in the original document (about 50,000 words in length when finished in 1907). Many of these details would quickly become outdated or obsolete, and thus in need of amending. This attention to detail was not just a product of numerous interests seeking to have their favorite provision included in the constitution, but a fear of the drafters that they would not be able to trust the state legislature created by the new constitution to take the interests of the mass of Oklahoma citizens into account when enacting laws. An enduring characteristic of Oklahoma's constitution, however, has been its faith in direct democracy. In 2018 alone, Oklahomans had the opportunity to vote on six provisions to modify state laws or the state's constitution. These included issues that ranged from a state law legalizing medical marijuana (which passed) to amending the state's constitution to allow optometrists to operate in Wal-Mart stores (which did not pass).This volume traces the historical formation and constitutional development of the state. This development, given the frequency with which Oklahomans deem it necessary to change, is literally an ongoing process"-- Provided by publisher
Print Book, English, 2020
Second edition View all formats and editions
Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2020
constitutions
xxxi, 414 pages ; 25 cm.
9780197514818, 0197514812
1149268396
Series Foreword by Lawrence Friedman Foreword by W. A. Drew Edmondson Acknowledgments Introduction Part one: The History of the Oklahoma Constitution The History and Development of the Oklahoma Constitution Part two: The Oklahoma Constitution and Commentary Preamble Article I. Federal Relations Article II. Bill of Rights Article III. Suffrage Article IV. Distribution of Powers Article V. Legislative Department Article VI. Executive Department Article VII. Judicial Department Article VII-A. Court on the Judiciary Article VII-B. Selection of Justices and Judges Article VIII. Impeachment and Removal from Office Article IX. Corporations Article X. Revenue and Taxation Article XI. State and School Lands Article XII. Homestead and Exemptions Article XII-A. Homestead Exemption from Taxation Article XIII. Education Article XIII-A. Oklahoma State System of Higher Education Article XIII-B. Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges Article XIV. Banks and Banking Article XV. Oath of Office Article XVI. Public Roads, Highways, and Internal Improvements Article XVII. Counties Article XVIII. Municipal Corporations Article XIX. Insurance Article XX. Manufacture and Commerce Article XXI. Public Institutions Article XXII. Alien and Corporate Ownership of Lands Article XXIII. Miscellaneous Article XXIV. Constitutional Amendments Article XXV. Social Security Article XXVI. Department of Wildlife Conservation Article XXVII. Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Article XXVIII. Alcoholic Beverage Laws and Enforcement Article XXIX. Ethics Commission Bibliography Table of Cases Index About the Authors