50 Constitutions
50 Constitutions
The 50 Constitutions project is a landmark, interactive effort to document and digitize the full history of every state constitution in the United States—many for the first time in an accessible format.
Led by the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in partnership with the Karsh Institute and the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy at the UVA School of Law, the project sheds light on the evolving rights, responsibilities, and governing structures that shape American life at the state level. By equipping policymakers, educators, journalists, and citizens with a comprehensive resource on state constitutions, the project deepens understanding of federalism, strengthens civic engagement, and fosters institutional trust. State constitutions have long been engines of democratic innovation, and this initiative provides the tools to learn from that history and to apply its lessons to today’s most pressing political challenges.
In the News
Bringing America’s History Together From Coast to Coast
As the nation marks 250 years of independence, a landmark project is making the constitutional history of all 50 states accessible in one searchable resource.
UVA Research Team
Jessica Kimpell Johnson
Director of Research
Manager, John L. Nau III History & Principles of Democracy Lab
Micah J. Schwartzman
Co-Director, Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, UVA
*Special Invitee
Hardy Cross Dillard Professor of Law and Roy L. and Rosamond Woodruff Morgan Professor of Law, UVA School of Law
D. Tinashé Hofisi
Research Fellow
Jane Kulow
Senior Project Manager
Celia Calhoun
Student Representative, UVA Karsh Institute Advisory Board (2025–26)
Katelyn Chu
UVA Student
Olivia Haimerl
UVA Law Student
Owen Johnson
UVA Student
Jeremy Odrich
UVA Law Student
Maggie Sheerin
UVA Law Student
Zoe Shook
UVA Student