The West Virginia State Constitution provides a review of the history and development of West Virginia's Constitution and an updated section-by-section analysis of its meaning. The State has had two constitutions, the original that was ratified in 1863 and the current one that was initially adopted in 1872. Both were rooted in the several Virginia Constitutions that preceded them but also included major reforms that emerged out of ongoing disputes between the western and eastern regions of antebellum Virginia. Amendments in the thirties and between 1968 and 1982 modernized the Constitution. This history is recounted in Part I of the book.

This second edition provides section-by-section analysis that describes the origins and evolutions of the provisions and, more importantly, summarizes the interpretations given to them by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals over more than 150 years of the State's existence. The text reduces the case law to readily grasped concepts and cites the leading cases. A useful and convenient table of cases is provided, and a bibliography to facilitate more extensive or specific research is included.

The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research.

Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

About the Author:
Robert M. Bastress, Jr., teaches law at the West Virginia University College of Law and has done so since 1978. He presently serves there as the John W. Fisher, II Professor of Law. Prior to teaching at W.V.U., he practiced law in Eastern Kentucky for the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund and was an Abraham Freedman Fellow at the Temple University School of Law. Throughout his career as an attorney and professor, he has engaged in extensive litigation dealing with constitutional, civil rights, and employment law issues and has performed public service on behalf of organizations seeking to defend civil liberties and equal rights and to promote access to justice for lower and middle-income individuals. He is the author of numerous law review articles and other professional materials, including a textbook on interpersonal skills for lawyers and the first edition on The West Virginia Constitution.