SYNOPSIS OF STATE LAW

Synopsis of State Law of North Carolina

Synopsis of State Law of North Carolina

The North Carolina's State Constitution governs the function and structure of the state's government. The constitution is considered as the highest level of legal documents for subjugate and state North Carolina Law. The constitution of every state in United States of America is subject to judicial review, and federal judges reserve the right to nullify any state amendment that conflict with US Constitution or federal laws. North Carolina Constitution was first created in 1776 after the Declaration of Independence by United States of America or at that time America. As one of the first state constitutions, there have been two main revised version and various amendments (Olshfski and Cunningham, 2008). The present form of the constitution of the state has 14 articles and was ratified in 1971.

Article IV of the U.S. Constitution lays out several rules that must be followed by all states if they are to be members of the union: Each state shall give full faith and credit to the records and documents of every other state, citizens of every state shall have all the privileges and immunities granted to citizens of each state, and every state shall have a republican form of government. Article I, Section 10 prohibits states from doing certain things: coining money, entering into treaties, passing ex post facto laws, among others. Beyond these relatively few requirements, states are free to design their own forms of government.

Although there is some variety from one state to the next in constitutional structures and processes, most states mimic the national level of government, with three branches, checks and balances, regularly scheduled elections, sub state units of government with some degree of autonomy, and some set of civil rights and liberties guaranteed to the citizens (Olshfski and Cunningham, 2008).

One of the most controversial recent uses of the state constitution amendment process has been in the area of gay marriage. In the United States, demands for equal treatment for all citizens regardless of race, gender, religion, age, and disability have been made and resolved, for the most part, at both the state and national levels (Olshfski and Cunningham, 2008). Family law is typically the province of state governments, and so the battle about the legality of same-sex marriages is being fought in that arena. Since state courts, state attorneys general, and local town clerks have ...