Author: Constitution Watchdog

In a jurisprudential development that underscores the precarious nature of state constitutional protections, the North Dakota Supreme Court has upheld a strict abortion ban through a procedural mechanism that allows a minority of justices to dictate constitutional law. In the recently decided Access Independent Health Services v. Wrigley, issued in late November 2025, the court’s final judgment upheld a statute criminalizing abortion despite three of the five justices concluding that the ban violated state due process rights. This counter-majoritarian outcome is the result of a specific state rule requiring a supermajority—four out of five justices—to declare a legislative act unconstitutional.…

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, represents a pivotal legislative effort to institutionalize the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) paradigm, a proposal intended to synchronize the electoral cycle for the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and all State Legislative Assemblies. This framework necessitates the insertion of a new provision, Article 82A, and consequential amendments to existing articles, specifically Articles 83, 172, and 327, which delineate the duration of central and state legislatures. The fundamental mechanism involves stipulating that the terms of all state assemblies constituted following a Presidential notification—which is to be issued on the date…

The current constitutional landscape in Quebec is marked by the highly contentious introduction and subsequent public review of Bill 1, which proposes a formal draft constitution for the province. Tabled by Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette in October 2025, the legislation is officially posited as an instrument to reinforce Quebec’s distinct identity, enhance its cultural protections, and strategically augment its autonomy within the broader Canadian federation. The bill enumerates a specific set of founding principles, including the enshrinement of secularism, the guaranteed right to equality between men and women, the establishment of French as the sole common language, and the specific…

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has issued a forceful and unambiguous appeal to the federal government, demanding the immediate and rigorous enforcement of constitutional protections for religious minorities. This intervention comes at a critical juncture for the Indian republic, where the “pluralistic ethos” defined in the Preamble faces what the bishops describe as an unprecedented threat from rising religious polarization. We are observing a marked escalation in the rhetoric and administrative actions that undermine the “basic structure” of the Constitution—specifically the guarantees of secularism and equal protection under the law. The bishops have flagged a disturbing trend where…

We are currently monitoring a profound constitutional development in the Principality of Monaco, where the theoretical power of the sovereign has collided—visibly and decisively—with the legislative will of the elected parliament. In a move that legal scholars classify as an exercise of absolute royal prerogative, Prince Albert II has effectively vetoed a bill intended to legalize abortion, explicitly halting a reform that the National Council had approved by a commanding majority of 19 to 2 in May 2025. This intervention is not merely a policy dispute; it represents a rare, kinetic activation of the monarch’s sanctioning power, a mechanism that…

The Nigerian constitutional amendment process has reached a critical inflection point as of late November 2025, with the National Assembly’s Constitution Review Committee advancing toward the culmination of its drafting phase. Following a decisive joint retreat in Abuja, the legislative body has effectively transitioned from the consultative deliberations that characterized the earlier stages to the technical finalization of the alteration bills. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, have confirmed that the harmonization of sub-committee reports is largely complete, signaling the imminent transmission of the finalized draft to the plenary…

We are witnessing a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s constitutional evolution, a juncture where the theoretical frameworks of reform are finally converging with the hard realities of legislative procedure. The National Assembly has officially concluded what its leadership characterizes as the final and decisive joint retreat on the ongoing constitution review process, signaling the termination of the deliberative phase and the commencement of the ratification cycle. Senator Barau Jibrin, the Senate Deputy President and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, has been unequivocal in his assessment: the window for debate has closed. The focus has shifted exclusively to approving positions previously…

The constitutional landscape in Zambia has reached a critical inflection point this week, precipitating a severe confrontation between the Executive branch and a coalition of civic and religious bodies. As we monitor the situation from Lusaka, the immediate catalyst is the scheduled nationwide protest for November 28, 2025, organized by the powerful Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) and allied civil society organizations. This mobilization is not merely a political demonstration but a profound legal objection to what these groups characterize as an extra-constitutional attempt to revive the substance of the controversial Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 7 of…

Recent reports indicate a pivotal development in Palestinian constitutional law, characterized by the imminent completion of the drafting process for the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) interim constitution. According to official communications from the PA’s WAFA news agency, the drafting committee is expected to conclude its deliberations within the coming week. This significant procedural milestone will culminate in the submission of the final draft to PA President Mahmoud Abbas for executive approval. The committee recently convened its sixteenth session at the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) headquarters in Ramallah, a meeting dedicated to the rigorous examination of proposed constitutional articles and the subsequent…

At Constitution Watchdog, we are closely monitoring the constitutional and federal implications of the legislative developments surrounding the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025, initially listed in the Rajya Sabha bulletin for the Parliament’s Winter Session commencing December 1, 2025, represents a significant potential shift in the administrative jurisprudence of the region. The Bill seeks to amend the constitutional schedule to bring Chandigarh under the ambit of Article 240 of the Constitution of India. Currently, Article 240 empowers the President to frame regulations for certain Union Territories, specifically the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra…