To mark the start of the school year, we’re sharing new resources — along with some old favorites — for anyone looking to learn more about state courts and constitutions. We’ll be back in September with our regular newsletter.

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State courts and constitutions are on the front lines of many of today’s key issues. To offer background on how they operate, State Court Report contributing editor Sarah Kessler rounded up some of our top explainers on topics such as how state constitutions are amended and when the U.S. Supreme Court can review state court decisions. Read more

The past few months have yielded an array of new scholarship on state constitutional law, courts, and institutions, writes Miriam Seifter, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School and faculty codirector of the State Democracy Research Initiative. The latest installment of Seifter’s scholarship roundup summarizes recent books and law review articles on state public law. Read more

“There is fascinating diversity among the 50 states’ courts and constitutions,” writes State Court Report consultant Nancy Watzman, who compiled statistics and other facts. For example, Oklahoma and Texas each have two high courts, and Alabama’s constitution is about 373,000 words long — longer than most of Stephen King’s novels. Read more

We asked experts to dive into their states’ constitutions, narrate their histories, identify their quirks, and summarize their most essential components. Learn which constitution is the world’s oldest still in effect today, which ones carry vestiges of slavery, and how state constitutions address abortion rights, direct democracy, and more in this ongoing series. Read more

Eight state supreme court justices told us what they wished someone had told them in law school. Among their answers: Enroll in a legal clinic, apply for a clerkship after graduation, and don’t be too convinced of your own views. Read more

We collected our favorite resources that demystify state courts and constitutions. These tools, useful to novices, pros, and everyone in between, include interactive maps, databases, and in-depth reports on state judicial decisions, biographies of state justices, and more. Read more

Researchers, journalists, and the public can use this guide to understand how to find court decisions related to state constitutional law in State Court Report’s curated database. The user-friendly interface is searchable by issue, year, and state. Read more

State supreme court justices from four states opened up about what they look for in applicants, what clerks do day-to-day, what to write in a cover letter, how a clerkship improves writing skills, and why grades aren’t everything. Read more