The Pitcairn Constitution runs 12,164 words. It is the length of the Alaska Constitution6 and triple that of the U.S. Constitution. It has 66 articles, one article for every inhabitant on Pitcairn, which has the population of a small village. Many articles are filled with details of the sort generally left by the United States Constitution for statutes but which clutter many state constitutions. This is typical of British colonial constitutions—long and detailed. Reading the document shows much is based on European human rights law.
Recommended CitationMichael O. Eshleman, The New Pitcairn Islands Constitution: Strong, Empty Words for Britain’s Smallest Colony, 24 Pace Int'l L. Rev. 21 (2012)
Available at: http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr/vol24/iss1/2