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Comparative Constitutional Law Research: Getting Started

About

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.  

 

 

Online Translators

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:

 

Introductions to Comparative Constitutional Law

Law Library

Address

Loyola University Chicago
School of Law Library 
Philip H. Corboy Law Center
25 E. Pearson Street
Chicago, IL 60611

Email

Access and borrowing questions:
Law-Library@luc.edu
Research questions: LoyolaLawReference@luc.edu

Phone Numbers

Main:  312.915.7200
Circulation:  312.915.6986
Reference:  312.915.7205
Interlibrary Loan:  312.915.7202
Fax:  312.915.6797

Constitutional Courts

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). 

Bibliographies

Some useful bibliographies of published materials related to comparative constitutional law are listed below.