Article by Mark T. Carleton
It is much too early for any "definitive" studies of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, or of the convention that wrote it, especially in so brief a treatment as this. Something can be said, however, about Louisiana's elitist tradition of constitutional revision, of which the 1974 document is the prevailing example. Why the constitution had to be rewritten in 1974 can be explained and its significant provisions summarized. Finally, we can recall how the 1974 constitution was ratified and draw some instructive, if not cheerful, conclusions about that event within the continuum of Louisiana politics.
Constitutional revision in Louisiana, whether in conventions or by amendment, has been sufficiently continuous to justify including it with Mardi Gras, football, and corruption as one of the premier components of state culture. No other state has had as many constitutions as Louisiana (eleven), and probably no other state has amended its recent constitutions as often as Louisiana; the 1921 constitution alone, for example, was amended 536 times within fifty-one years.
The initiators and principal practitioners of constitutional revision have been the state's "public elite," including governors, legislators, and other public officeholders, together with lobbyists for various local and special interests. These educated, articulate, powerful, and relatively affluent Louisianans have used the process of constitutional revision, often self-servingly, to construct or maintain a governmental apparatus conforming to their own specifications. Only twice in modern times have the people of Louisiana played a decisive role in constitutional revision—once in 1896 and again between 1970 and 1972. Otherwise, most Louisiana voters have played either a passive role in the revision process or no role at all.
About the Author
Mark T. Carleton. Associate Professor of History, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. This article was originally written for inclusion in Louisiana Politics (J. Bolner, ed.), soon to be published by the Louisiana State University Press.
Citation
54 Tul. L. Rev. 560 (1980)