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Scholars have tended to neglect the history of state constitutions, though these are interesting in themselves and also shed light on federal developments. State constitutions have tended, on the whole, to be less durable and to contain more superlegislation than the U.S. Constitution. Early state constitutions provided for a weak executive. In the nineteenth century, states began to restrict legislatures as well. Recent state constitution making has tended to be technocratic, less overtly political than in the nineteenth century, although the use of initiative and referendum processes is a somewhat contradictory trend. Judicial review in state courts developed along lines generally parallel to those in federal courts. Judicial review flowered after the Civil War; in this period, many innovative doctrines first arose in state courts. The center of innovation shifted to the federal courts in the twentieth century. Judicial review continued and grew in state courts, however, and the recent expansion of the doctrine of independent state grounds may increase the power and significance of state courts.

To ask oneself whether sociology of law is really a science leads unavoidably to the following questions : what is the definition of this discipline, what place is assigned to sociology of law within the general theories of law and of society, and what are the limits of its object. One of the main difficulties of sociology of law, when compared to natural sciences or even when compared to other sections of sociology, is a matter of definition of the object of the study of law because of its uncertain boundaries and of cultural fluctuations. According to the author, there is no general, universal sociology of law ; sociology of law can only be « a science of small and middling findings, and of middle range theories at least in the short run ». He proposes a general framework for the social study of law in Western countries and groups the contents of the discipline under three main headings : the analysis of social forces which produce or influence the legal system, the analysis of the operation of the legal system itself and the analysis of the impact of law.

In The Massachusetts State Constitution, Lawrence Friedman and Lynnea Thody present a comprehensive and accessible survey of Massachusetts constitutional history and constitutional law. The Massachusetts Constitution is the oldest state constitution and has remained essentially unchanged since it was drafted in 1780. It served as a model for the United States Constitution and many of the state constitutions that followed. The Massachusetts State Constitution provides an outstanding constitutional and historical account of the state's governing charter. It begins with an overview of Massachuset

der Herausgeber -- I. Der Einfluß allgemeiner gesellschaftlicher Kräfte auf die Formen gerichtlicher Verfahren -- The relationship between judicial and political branches of government -- Trial courts and their work in the modern world -- Economic development and litigation: The case of Spain -- II. Politische und soziale Determinanten richterlicher Tätigkeit -- Der Anteil gerichtlicher Verfahren bei der Austragung sozialer Konflikte -- Political justice and system maintenance: An overview of some major variables -- Zum Problem der Klassenjustiz -- III. Richterliche Entscheidungsfindung -- Eine entscheidungstheoretische Konzeption des Justizverfahrens -- Criminal courts as organizational phenomena -- IV. Alternativmodelle für die Rechtspflege -- The choice between litigation and arbitration -- Judicial decision-making and administrative tasks -- Civil trial and social justice in Italy.A sociological analysis of the proceedings under art. 28 of the Workers' Statute -- V. Die Auswirkung gerichtlicher Verfahren auf die Gesellschaft -- Social reform groups and the legal system: Enforcement problems -- The distribution of advantages in the litigation process -- Defamation: Reputation and encounter -- VI. Die Rollen im Gerichtsverfahren -- a)Laienrichter -- Citizen participation in the administration of justice: Research and policy in Poland -- The function of the lay judge in Czechoslovakia -- b)Sachverständige -- Die rechtliche Erheblichkeit gesellschaftlicher Unwissenheit -- Sachverständigengutachten und Urteilsfindung im Zivilprozeß -- VII. Probleme der Forschung und Rechtsreform -- Das Problem des Musterprozesses -- Das rechtliche Verfahren in der Rechts- ethnologie: Versuch zu einem interkulturell anwendbaren Bezugsrahmen -- Zugangsbarrieren zur Justiz -- Die Kosten der Rechtsverfolgung als Zugangs-barriere der Rechtspflege -- "Kommunikation" als Untersuchungsgegenstand und Forschungsinstrument.