View source for Constitution of Arizona

{{Short description|State constitution}}
{{Infobox constitution
| document_name=Constitution of the State of Arizona
| image=
| image_size=
| image_caption=
| jurisdiction=[[Arizona]], [[United States]]
| date_created=
| date_ratified=December 9, 1910 {{small|(original)}}<br/>December 9, 1911 {{small|(revised)}}
| date_effective={{Start date and age|df=no|1912|02|14}} {{small|(on statehood)}}
| location_of_document=
| writer=
| signers=
| purpose=
| number_amendments=151
|wikisource= Constitution of Arizona
}}

The '''Constitution of the State of Arizona''' is the [[constitution|governing document]] and framework for the State of [[Arizona]].  The current constitution is the first and only adopted by the state of Arizona.

==History==
The [[Arizona Territory]] was authorized to hold a [[Constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]] in 1910 at which the constitution was drafted and submitted to Congress. The original constitution was approved by Congress, but subsequently vetoed by President [[William H. Taft]] on his objections concerning the recalling of judges. The constitution was amended by the constitutional convention removing the recalling of judges and resubmitted, upon which President Taft approved Arizona's statehood as the 48th [[United States state|state]] on February 14, 1912.<ref name="ASLAPR">[http://www.lib.az.us/museum/statehood.cfm Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Record – The Road to Statehood] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209142724/http://www.lib.az.us/museum/statehood.cfm |date=2006-12-09 }} Accessed November 6, 2006</ref>

Fairly quickly after Arizona became a state, the [[Arizona Legislature|state legislature]] approved a [[constitutional amendment]] which restored the ability to recall judges, which was approved in the 1912 general election.<ref name="ASLAPR"/>

The following individuals were the delegates to the convention: [[Fred Colter]] (D), representing [[Apache County, Arizona|Apache County]]; E. M. Doe (R) and C. C. Hutchinson (R), representing [[Coconino County, Arizona|Coconino County]]; E.E. Ellinhwood (D), John Bolan (D), H. B. Sims (D), [[C. M. Roberts]] (D), F. R. Bradner (D), Thomas Fenney (D), A. F. Parsons (D), E. A. Tovreau (D), [[Donald L. Cunningham|D. L. Cunningham]] (D), C. F. Connelly (D), representing [[Cochise County, Arizona|Cochise County]]; [[George W. P. Hunt]] (D), J. J. Keegan (D), [[Alfred Kinney]] (D), John H. McCormick (D), [[Jacob Weinberger]] (D), representing [[Gila County, Arizona|Gila County]]; Lamar Cobb (D), A. R. Lynch (D), Mit Simms (D), A. M. Tuthill (D), William T. Webb (D), representing [[Graham County, Arizona|Graham County]]; [[Albert C. Baker|A. C. Baker]] (D), Lysander Cassidy (D), John Orme (D), Orrin Standage (D), J. E. Crutchfield (D), F. A. Jones (D), [[Benjamin Baker Moeur]] (D), [[Alfred Franklin]] (D), [[Sidney Preston Osborn|Sidney Osborn]] (D), representing [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa County]]; [[Henry Lovin]] (D) representing [[Mohave County, Arizona|Mohave County]]; [[James Scott (American politician)|James Scott]] (R), and William Morgan (D), representing [[Navajo County, Arizona|Navajo County]]; [[Thomas N. Wills]] (D) and Elmer Coker (D), representing [[Pinal County, Arizona|Pinal County]]; S. L. Kingman (R), W. F. Cooper (R), [[Pusch Ridge#History|George Pusch]] (R), Carl Jacome (R), and J. C. White (R), representing [[Pima County, Arizona|Pima County]]; Bracey Curtis (R) representing [[Santa Cruz, Arizona|Santa Cruz]]; [[Mulford Winsor]] (D), F. L. Ingram (D), and C. E. Short (D), representing [[Yuma County, Arizona|Yuma County]]; and E. M. Wells (R), [[M. G. Cunniff]] (D), A. A. Moore (D), [[Homer R. Wood]] (D), [[Morris Goldwater]] (D),  and Albert Jones (D), representing [[Yavapai County, Arizona|Yavapai County]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Delegates To The Constitutional Convention |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/42331513/?terms=%22Fred%2BColter%22 |newspaper=St. Johns Herald and Apache News (St. Johns, Arizona) |date=September 22, 1910 |page=4 |via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date =January 23, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref>

==Preamble==
{{quote|We the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.}}

==Summary==
The Arizona Constitution is divided into a preamble and 30 articles, numbered 1–6, 6.1, 7–22, and 25–30, with articles 23 and 24 having been repealed. Article 30 is no longer in force due to being ruled illegal.
* '''Preamble'''
* '''Article 1''' declares the boundaries of the state in great detail.
* '''Article 2''' titled the Declaration of Rights and is the state's equivalent of the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]].  At the time the Arizona Constitution was adopted, the [[United States Supreme Court]] had not yet ruled that the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] in the [[United States Constitution]] was applicable to or binding upon the states. In 2024, Article 2 was amended to contain an explicit right to abortion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arizona |url=https://reproductiverights.org/maps/state/arizona/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Center for Reproductive Rights |language=en-US}}</ref>
* '''Article 3''' declares the state government shall be divided into three distinct divisions, the [[Arizona Legislature|legislative]], [[Governor of Arizona|executive]] and [[Arizona Supreme Court|judicial]].
* '''Article 4''' establishes the legislature and the people through [[Popular initiative|initiative]] as legislative authority for the state and outlines the qualifications for state [[Arizona House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and [[Arizona Senate|Senate]] and the division of districts (30 districts to elect 1 senator and 2 representatives).
* '''Article 5''' outlines the qualifications for [[Governor of Arizona|Governor]] and other [[Executive branch]] officials and to their duties.
* '''Article 6''' frames the court system including the [[Arizona Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] and [[superior court]] and qualifications for judges.
* '''Article 6.1''' creates a Commission on Judicial Conduct to oversee the judicial system.
* '''Article 7''' deals with suffrage and elections.
* '''Article 8''' provides the method of removal from office for all elected officials including judges, legislators, and executive officials either through [[Impeachment in the United States|impeachment]] or [[recall election|recall]].
* '''Article 9''' provides taxation powers to the legislature and limits the amount of debt for the state's political divisions.
* '''Article 10''' concerns the usage of state and school lands.
* '''Article 11''' concerns education in the state and that all public schools be free.  Establishes [[Board of Education]] and [[Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction|Superintendent of Public Instruction]].
* '''Article 12''' deals with the [[List of counties in Arizona|counties]] of the state.
* '''Article 13''' deals with cities, towns and other municipal corporations.
* '''Article 14''' deals with general corporations.
* '''Article 15''' establishes the Corporation Commission to regulate corporations as well as the rates of public utilities.
* '''Article 16''' concerns the [[militia]] and national guard.
* '''Article 17''' declares the [[common law]] [[Riparian water rights|riparian]] system of [[water rights]] void and reconfirms preexisting [[prior appropriation water rights|appropriated water rights]].
* '''Article 18''', as well as '''Article 25''', concerns labor, regulating [[child labor]], defining a work day to be 8 hours, and declaring Arizona a [[Right-to-work law|right to work]] state.
* '''Article 19''' creates the office of State Mine Inspector and the inspection of mines operating in the state.
* '''Article 20''' concern specific topics that while normally outside of Congress's [[subject jurisdiction]], are controlled by Congress. This includes the right to [[freedom of religion|religious freedom]], banning of [[polygamy]], public and Indian lands, banning importation of intoxicating liquors onto Indian reserves until 1957, and state officials required to speak, read, and write English, among other things. These sections can only be repealed with the approval of Congress; however, since the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] invalidated a similar restriction in ''[[Coyle v. Smith]]'', the validity of that rule is unclear.
* '''Article 21''' outlines the mode of amending the Constitution.
* '''Article 22''' deals with scheduling and miscellaneous topics.
* '''Articles 23''' and '''24''' both concerned [[prohibition]] and were repealed in 1932.
* '''Articles 26''', '''27''', and '''29''' are short articles dealing with real estate agents, the regulation of ambulances, and public retirement systems.  Article 27 specifies that Arizona citizens may not be forced to purchase healthcare or fined for not purchasing such care.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Arizona State Legislature – Classic Site: Fifty-third Legislature – Second Regular Session [Archived copy]|url=http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F27%2F2.htm |access-date=2022-05-01 |archive-date=2018-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311141115/https://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F27%2F2.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* '''Article 28''' concerns English as the official language.
* '''Article 29''' deals with public retirement systems.
* '''[[Arizona Proposition 102 (2008)|Article 30]]''' restricts marriage to a man and a woman.

==Oddities==
Two sections in the Constitutions are duplicated, having resulted from three constitutional amendments being approved in 1992 (Propositions 100, 101, and 107 all amending term limits with Proposition 107 creating a second version in both sections).
* Article 5,<ref name = "art 5">{{cite web | url = http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F5%2F1.htm | title = Article 5 | website = Arizona Constitution | author = State of Arizona | publisher = Arizona Legislature | access-date = 2006-11-07 | archive-date = 2006-10-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061005161358/http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F5%2F1.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> Section 1.<ref name = "art 5 sec 1">{{cite web | url = http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/const/5/1.1.htm | title = Article 5, section 1 | website = Arizona Constitution | author = State of Arizona | publisher = Arizona Legislature | access-date = 2020-07-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081114210303/http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F5%2F1.1.htm | archive-date = 2008-11-14 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
* Article 19,<ref name = "art 19">{{cite web | url = http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/const/19/0.htm | title = Article 19 | website = Arizona Constitution | author = State of Arizona | publisher = Arizona Legislature | access-date = 2020-07-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160917190714/http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F19%2F0.htm | archive-date = 2016-09-17 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Section 1.<ref name = "art 19 sec 1">{{cite web | url = http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/const/19/0.1.htm | title = Article 19, section 1 | website = Arizona Constitution | author = State of Arizona | publisher = Arizona Legislature | access-date = 2020-07-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160917193722/http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F19%2F0.1.htm | archive-date = 2016-09-17 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
* Article 6, Section 2, provides in part, "The [supreme] court shall be open at all times, except on nonjudicial days, for the transaction of business," thus stating that the court is open, except when it is closed.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* McClory, T. ''Understanding the Arizona Constitution'', The University of Arizona Press, 2001 {{ISBN|978-0816520961}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|Arizona Constitution}}
* [https://www.azleg.gov/constitution/ Arizona State Legislature – Arizona Constitution]
* [http://www.azleg.gov/const/Arizona_Constitution.pdf Full Transcript]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141103092534/http://www.azlibrary.gov/sla/documents-leading-statehood LAPR – Documents Leading To Statehood]

{{Arizona}}
{{Constitutions of the United States}}

[[Category:1912 establishments in Arizona]]
[[Category:1912 in Arizona]]
[[Category:1912 in American law]]
[[Category:State constitutions of the United States|Arizona]]
[[Category:Arizona law]]
[[Category:1912 documents]]