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Some observers argue that excessive veneration of the U.S. Constitution has blinded Americans to its flaws and made them reluctant to consider necessary reforms. In this paper, we test the assumptions that underlie these claims. We report the results of two survey experiments that examine the existence and effects of constitutional status quo bias at both the state and federal levels. Our findings support the notion that a proposed policy involving constitutional change imbues the constitutional status quo with normative value and, in turn, disposes individuals to resist the proposal. These results hold even at the state level. In addition to the institutional obstacles to constitutional amendment, therefore, we find evidence of another, psychological barrier to constitutional change that is based specifically in a sense of constitutional attachment.

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Although contemporary Americans take it for granted that a “constitution” is a written document, written constitutions were almost unprecedented at America's founding. James Wilson, one of the most significant yet overlooked of America's founders, offers a comprehensive theory of America's written constitution. Wilson argues that the written-ness of the U.S. Constitution serves two essential functions. As an initial matter, it memorializes the primacy of liberty by announcing that the authority of government derives only from a free people. Perhaps more importantly, however, the written constitution uplifts and refines the character of its citizens, and thus helps to constitute a people. A review of Wilson's writings and speeches reveals how, even in a rights-centric political order, the written constitution helps to cultivate moderate and civic-minded citizens without diminishing the fundamental importance of individual rights.

Water quenching of luminescent [Ru(phen)(2)dppz]Cl(2), [Ru(phen)(2)dppn]Cl(2), and [Ru(4,7-Ph(2)phen)(2) dppz]Cl(2) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline; 4,7-Ph(2)phen = 4; 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline; dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2'3'-c]phenazine; dppn = benzodipyrido(a:3,2-h:2',3'-j)phenazine) complexes was studied in acetonitrile and in polymers. The polymers contained hydrophobic and hydrophilic components to control mechanical properties and were designed to absorb water with changing humidity and, thus, affect the emission intensity and lifetime. Quenching by water in mixed solvents and in polymers was shown to arise from a combination of diffusional and static ground-state associational quenching. The factors controlling polymer properties are discussed. The systems can be tailored to give a wide range of responses or function as a binary sensor at a fixed humidity level.