Connecticut Constitution

The Connecticut Constitution was approved by referendum on December 14, 1965.  It was adopted on December 30, 1965.  It is the second constitution that the state has had.  The constitution consists of 14 articles.  It has been amended 30 times.

Reapportionment of the representatives in the lower legislative house was the primary purpose of the 1965 constitutional convention.  A majority of the language from the 1818 Constitution was reaffirmed in 1965.  The Constitution granted official freedom of religion to non-Christians in 1965.  It deleted the reference to Christianity from the earlier constitution.  The Supreme Court of Errors’ title was changed to the Connecticut Supreme Court.  Under the new constitution, the executive obtained a significant power.  To defeat a veto, the legislature requires two thirds support in both houses.  Moreover, the 1965 Constitution includes a constitutional right to free public education.

The ways to amend the Connecticut Constitution are:

  • legislatively-referred constitutional amendments under Article XII.
  • constitutional convention under Article XIII.

Full text of Connecticut Constitution:

Inside Connecticut Constitution