Research and Resources

Research, commentary and analysis of Illinois Constitutions past and present. (This page is a work-in-progress. Some of the files can be quite large. Please be patient while information is compiled and uploaded to the site.)

Background

I would like to recommend this pamphlet written by the American Bar Association when it was only 50 years old. Even though I do not agree with much of what the Bar Association stands for today, this pamphlet was written when the concepts of individual liberty, state sovereignty, limited government, and a rule of law were still popular and fundamental to the scheme of American government. I suggest you read it carefully; it makes some good points. Remember that it was written by lawyers with the intent of educating people on their roles as citizens. I was skeptical at first, but found the work to be substantive and fairly honest. You won't find the Bar Association stating such things in our current political climate, but in 1925 these things were just as much a concern and valid as they are today; today even more so. The piece foretells the future of what was to come, what has come to pass, and how it happened.

This piece is called "Understanding the Illinois Constitution", 2001 Edition, put together by the Illinois Bar Foundation. I discuss this in detail on my Analysis and Commentary page, but nevertheless it is a dumbed-down, pretentious and sophomoric work that is not without its adequate historical commentary. An astute student of law, rights, or constitutions should be able to pick this apart rather easily. It is insightful as a reference to how the oligarchy thinks and dissembles in preservation of their class and status.

Research Materials

Annotated Constitutional Convention of Illinois 1870 (7 parts) THESE FILES ARE LARGE AND MAY TAKE SOME TIME TO DOWNLOAD

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Lists of Suggestions for Constitutional Change Together With Texts of Constitutions of Illinois (1919)

This was prepared by for the 1919 Constitutional Convention convened for possibly amending the 1870 Constitution. Even though the convention did not produce a new constitution (it was rejected by the voters) it does a good job of reviewing all the prior constitutions. The information is relevant in explaining the state of the constitution up to the 1870 revision.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Constitutional Development in Illinois Second Edition.

This was prepared as a guide for the voters in considering a possible constitution by the 1919 Constitutional Convention.

History of Constitutional Conventions in Illinois

Due Process of Law in Relation to Statutory Uncertainty and Constructive Offenses, Giving Much Needed Enlightenment to Legislators, Bar and Bench

This was written by a Lawyer named Theodore Schroeder in 1908 in cooperation with the Free Speech League. The piece deals with mischief arising from misconstruction of law and statutory uncertainty. It is an honest and educational piece that discusses the true nature of law. Highly recommended for fundamental understanding of what "law" actually is, and is not.

Due Process of Law in Relation to Statutory Uncertainty and Constructive Offenses

Other interesting and miscellaneous items:

Motor vehicle transportation

Police power, state and federal

Police powers arising under the law of overruling necessity

The Fourteenth Amendment and the states

The fourteenth amendment from a legal standpoint

The police power

The police power of the state and decisions

The Proper Role of Law Enforcement

Cardinal Rules of Legal Interpretation

Cases on Administrative Law