We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our posterity, do, for the more certain security thereof and for the better government of this State, ordain and establish this Constitution.

That’s the preamble to the North Carolina Constitution, which, in its current form, was written in 1971. North Carolina, of course, has had a constitution much longer than that.

When was the first one written?
What did it include?
How many times has it been amended?

You can find these and more answers in our new North Carolina Constitution infographic!

We have other guides and infographics on different topics, such as how to do a legislative history and how to request committee audio from the library. Check out all our guides here!

How about a legislative Throwback Thursday? Check out this 1963 effort of the short-lived North Carolina Film Board.

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge William Osteen ruled that, in light of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, North Carolina’s statute forbidding abortions after 20 weeks (N.C.G.S. 14-45.1) is not unconstitutional. In other words, the 20-week ban can be enforced.

Judge Osteen’s ruling is available here.

Responses by Governor Cooper, House Speaker Tim Moore, and other elected officials are here.

Curious about other states’ abortion laws? We have a blog entry on that topic.

Looking for legal help on this or any other subject? Check out this list of free or low-cost resources.

A frequent request we get at the Legislative Library is for a certified copy of a statute, session law, or other document. This means a document whose contents can be relied upon as truly and genuinely created by a North Carolina agency.

Some documents we can certify, and some we can’t. Here are the best contacts for document certification.

GENERAL STATUTES
The General Assembly passes bills into law. These are called session laws. The session laws that are public laws–i.e., they apply to everyone in North Carolina–are then integrated into the General Statutes, which consist of the general and permanent laws enacted by the General Assembly.

Anyone needing a certified copy of a statute (not a session law) should contact the Legislative Drafting Division of the General Assembly at 919-733-6660.

SESSION LAWS OR RATIFIED BILLS
After a bill is ratified–i.e., the General Assembly passes it and the Governor signs it–that bill becomes a session law. These original signed documents are then transmitted to the North Carolina Secretary of State.

Anyone needing a certified copy of a ratified bill or session law (not a statute) should contact the Secretary of State at 919-814-5400.

NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION
The Secretary of State is also the statutory custodian of the North Carolina Constitution.

Anyone needing a certified copy of the Constitution should contact the Secretary of State at 919-814-5400.

COMMITTEE MINUTES
The official record of a legislative committee meeting is that meeting’s written minutes. The minutes from 1997 forward can be found here. Older minutes (back to the early 1970s) are available on microfilm in the Legislative Library.

Anyone who comes to the library to locate minutes on microfilm can ask for a certification of those minutes from a librarian.

EXECUTIVE ORDERS
These are orders issued by the Governor of North Carolina. They do not come from the General Assembly.

Anyone needing a certified copy of an executive order should contact the Governor’s office at 919-814-2000.