This guide provides a comprehensive overview for researchers investigating constitutional law in a comparative and global context. Primary sources are included, as well as introductory materials, bibliographies, treatises, commercial databases, and free websites.
English-language translations of foreign constitutions,are available in various print and electronic resources. Look for "official" translations that are created by, or for, a government organization. Further, look for synoptic translations, which allow for side-by-side comparisons of the vernacular with the English-language translation.
Many online translators are available on the WWW, but these should be used with caution since web translators do not generally include specialized legal or commercial vocabulary. Online translators, however, may be of some help in getting the general sense of a document or passage. Examples of WWW translators are listed below:
The following guides to researching comparative constitutional law are available on the WWW. See also, Tom Ginsburg & Rosalind Dixon, "Comparative Constitutional Law: Introduction" (University of Chicago Public Law & Legal Theory Working Paper No. 362, 2011).
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Some countries have separate courts or chambers with jurisdiction over matters involving constitutional issues. Wikipedia has a list of countries with constitutional courts, and see also the list of constitutional courts compiled by the Venice Commission. For a basic introduction to constitutional courts, see Andrew Harding, "The Fundamentals of Constitutional Courts," Constitution Brief 1 (April 2017).
Some useful bibliographies of published materials related to comparative constitutional law are listed below.