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Hawaiian State Constitution Research Paper

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I am profiling the Hawaiian State Constitution. The Hawaiian state constitution was adopted by the citizens of Hawaii in 1950 but Hawaii was not formally established as a state until 1959.

The Hawaiian state constitution has many provisions that were established to protect the individual Hawaiian citizen's civil liberties. Most of the provisions of individual civil liberties are outlined in Article I, the state Bill of Rights.

The first provision I took notice of was outlined in section two titled The Rights of Individuals. This section mirrors the United States Constitution in granting inalienable rights to all persons, recognizing that all people are born free and equal.

The second provision deserving discussing regarding the rights …show more content…

This section states that all people have the right to life, freedom, and property ownership and cannot be denied these freedoms without due process of the law. This section also addresses that it is a violation of a person's civil rights if that person is denied any of these rights based on a person race, faith, gender, or heritage.

The fourth provision I found was in section eight, the Rights of Citizens which simply states that no person will be denied any rights by another person. Only the law under due process can deny these rights.

The fifth provision I found was located in section seventeen, the Right to Bear Arms. One sentence encapsulates the intention of this section, the right for the state to maintain a militia and for individual people to own and bear arms.

The first section of the Hawaiian constitution for establishing a self-governing state structure is located in Article II, Sufferage, and Elections. This article is divided into 10 sections and outlines what qualifies and disqualifies a voter, residence, voter registration, campaign monetary limits (funding, spending, and contributing), elections, presidential primary elections, and finally contested elections. These sections are brief and to the point and do not utilize complicated legal …show more content…

This Article is composed of nineteen sections and covers the legislative powers the state can employ. I will not list all nineteen sections, but to highlight some of the areas covered are the composition of the Senate and House of Representatives, elections of members, terms, qualifications, and disqualifications of members, members pay, approval and veto of bills, and impeachment.

The third provision I found was Article V, The Executive. This article in its simplest explanation establishes the office of governor, lieutenant governor, and executive powers of office, all covered in six sections.

The fourth provision I found was Article VI, The Judiciary. This article gives the state judicial power. Article six is comprised of six sections outlining judicial power, the Supreme Court, the appointment of justices and judges as well as qualifications for appointment to the office. Article VI also goes on to outline retirement, removal, and discipline of judges and justices as well as the administration of the state courts.

The fifth provision I found was Article VIII Local Government. This article establishes how the state divides up government into more manageable local governments. Some highlights of this article are partitioning of governmental control, local charters, taxes, and

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