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constitution definition - legal

n

  1. The fundamental and organic laws and principles of a country or state that create a system of government and provides a basis against which the validity of all other laws is determined.
  2. The fundamental rules governing an association.
Constitution
The Constitution of the United States, written in 1787 and put into effect in 1789.
unwritten constitution
The body of fundamental and organic laws and principles contained in a series of statutes, court decisions, governmental proclamations, and tradition that has been accepted as such by the government and people (often over generations or centuries). For example, the United Kingdom has an unwritten constitution that includes the Magna Carta (written in 1215), the Bill of Rights of 1689, and other documents and tradition.
written constitution
A single written document that embodies all the fundamental and organic laws and principals of a country or state. For example, the United States has a written constitution.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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