The Virginia Law Foundation has awarded a grant of nearly $15,000 to Randolph-Macon political science professor Rich Meagher to create the first publicly available listing of amendments to the current Constitution of Virginia.

Like the Constitution of the United States, Virginia’s Constitution is an evolving document that has had many amendments passed over the past half-century. But unlike the U.S. Constitution, whose amendments are taught in schools and known around the world, there is no detailed breakdown of updates to the state document.

“You can find a list and analysis and coverage and deep detailed descriptions of the 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution,” Meagher said. “Most Americans don’t even know that they have state constitutions, let alone that they have amendments to them.”

The issue is not just public awareness. Meagher says even scholars who follow the frequent changes to state constitutions have trouble cataloging them, and his research shows there are mistakes in this scholarship. He believes that depth of information is a crucial civic resource.

“We should know how our constitution changes, and when it changes, and why it changes,” Meagher said. “It happens an average of once a year. Some of those changes are very small, like tax codes, and some of those changes are very big, like redistricting commissions, which is a big, sweeping change that impacts elections.”

To address this problem, Meagher plans to use the grant funding to finalize his ongoing research and create a website database of what has been amended, as well as analysis and other information to help citizens fully understand this living document. In addition to being a resource for the general public, the project will also directly serve members of the General Assembly, educators, lawyers, and constitutional scholars.

Meagher is also hopeful that this project can evolve over time, associating Randolph-Macon scholars and student researchers with a document that is foundational to the governance of the Commonwealth, especially as historical changes happen in real time.

Mackenzie Phillips ‘23 will assist Meagher with research and organizing the database throughout the fall, with a website launch date planned for early spring.