AJR119

A Joint Resolution designating January 1 of each year as “New Jersey State Constitution Day.”

Whereas, The development of constitutionalism in New Jersey spans across multiple centuries and three defining constitutional texts – the 1776 State Constitution, 1844 State Constitution, and 1947 State Constitution; and

Whereas, On July 2, 1776, New Jersey became the fourth American colony to adopt a constitution declaring independence from Great Britain by a vote of 26 to nine; and

Whereas, As one of the original 13 states, New Jersey’s first constitution in 1776 predates the federal constitution by more than a decade; and

Whereas, New Jersey’s first constitution was composed in five days and although the delegates considered it a temporary charter, the constitution remained New Jersey’s State Constitution for 68 years; and

Whereas, After three failed legislative attempts to call a constitutional convention between 1790 and 1798 and a rejection of a constitutional question by the voters in 1800, the movement for constitutional reform in New Jersey gained momentum following the economic Panic of 1837; and

Whereas, In 1844, a constitutional convention assembled in Trenton, New Jersey between May 14, 1844 and June 9, 1844 with 58 delegates in attendance to draft a new State constitution; and

Whereas, The voters overwhelming ratified the 1844 State Constitution, which provided for the election of the Governor by the people and gubernatorial veto power, renamed the Legislative Council as the Senate, and included a separate bill of rights, the basis of today’s Article I; and

Whereas, New Jersey's 1844 State Constitution shifted governmental power, which had been vested disproportionately in the Legislature under the State's first charter, to the executive branch; and

Whereas, Despite the important reforms of the 1844 State Constitution, the structure and functioning of the court system, the elimination of equal representation for counties in the Senate, and providing a simpler method for amending the constitution was not addressed; and

Whereas, By the 1940s, a succession of three governors, Governors Charles Edison, Walter E. Edge, and Alfred E. Driscoll, made reforming the century-old 1844 State Constitution a high priority to confront modern problems in postwar state governments; and

Whereas, In the summer of 1947, after voters approved to call a constitutional convention by a five-to-one margin; a constitutional convention assembled at the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey; and

Whereas, Building on the unsuccessful constitutional revisions prepared during the Edison and Edge Administrations, around which a consensus had now developed, the 81 delegate convention produced New Jersey’s current constitution, the 1947 State Constitution; and

Whereas, The 1947 State Constitution was ratified overwhelming by the voters and took effect on January 1, 1948; and

Whereas, The 1947 State Constitution modernized the bill of rights to provide equal rights for women and an anti-discrimination provision, strengthened the Office of the Governor, reorganized and unified the judicial system under the New Jersey Supreme Court, and modified the constitutional amendment process; and

Whereas, New Jersey’s constitutional history represents centuries of constitutional reform and development that produced a strong governorship, formidable Legislature, and unified judicial system that transformed the New Jersey State Constitution into a model of state constitutionalism; and

Whereas, It is fitting and proper to designate January 1 of each year, the day the current constitution became effective, as “New Jersey State Constitution Day” to acknowledge and celebrate New Jersey’s constitutional history and educate New Jerseyans about the rights, privileges, and responsibilities the State Constitution affords; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. January 1 of each year shall be designated as “New Jersey State Constitution Day” to acknowledge and celebrate New Jersey’s constitutional history and raise public awareness of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities the State Constitution affords.

2. The Governor is respectfully requested to issue a proclamation each year calling upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe “New Jersey State Constitution Day” with appropriate activities and programs.

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This joint resolution designates January 1 of each year as “New Jersey State Constitution Day.” Historically, the development of constitutionalism in New Jersey spans across multiple centuries and three defining constitutional texts – the 1776 State Constitution, 1844 State Constitution, and 1947 State Constitution.

On July 2, 1776, New Jersey became the fourth American colony to adopt a constitution declaring independence from Great Britain by a vote of 26 to nine. As one of the original 13 states, New Jersey’s first constitution in 1776 predates the federal constitution by more than a decade. New Jersey’s second constitution, the 1844 State Constitution, was overwhelming ratified by the voters in 1844 and shifted governmental power to the executive branch. The 1844 State Constitution provided for the election of the Governor by the people and gubernatorial veto power, renamed the Legislative Council as the Senate, and included a separate bill of rights, the basis of today’s Article I. New Jersey’s current State Constitution, the 1947 State Constitution further solidified New Jersey’s State institutions by strengthening the Office of the Governor, reorganizing and unifying the judicial system under the New Jersey Supreme Court, and modifying the constitutional amendment process. The 1947 State Constitution also modernized the bill of rights to provide equal rights for women and an anti-discrimination provision.

New Jersey’s constitutional history represents centuries of constitutional reform and development that transformed the New Jersey State Constitution from a relative unknown document to a model of state constitutionalism. Since January 1, 1948 was the effective date of New Jersey’s current constitution, it is fitting and proper to designate January 1 of each year as “New Jersey State Constitution Day” to acknowledge and celebrate New Jersey’s constitutional history and raise public awareness of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities the State Constitution affords.