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Constitutional and State laws are they the same?

Why do laws in CT for instance seem so different than laws in other states isn't every state suppose to follow the same constitutional laws? Like why are bails or bonds set lower for ppl becuz of their gender and political ties or employment and are not always the same laws that are suppose to apply to all ppl equally? Ok so it's 2 questions in one, hahahahaha

3 Answers

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  • 7 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    A constitution is a government's rule book for enacting laws.

    Each state passes laws that promote the best interest of the state. This is why the legal age to marry can vary from state to state. The drinking age used to vary too. Age of consent laws vary and at one time it was easier to get a divorce in one state vs. another.

    As for bail, each state decides how much discretion to grant to judges in setting bail. Bail is supposed to reasonable. This does not mean everyone has the same bail set for the same crime. If we both get arrested for shoplifting then my bail might be higher than your bail because maybe I tried to steal goods worth more than what you tried to steal.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    Of course all laws have to fit within what is allowed by the Constitution. But the US has the shortest constitution in the world, and leaves most things to the states, which leaves the individual states to do pretty much what they like. The US is effectively 50 countries with additional federal law over the whole lot.

    This includes anything to do with setting bail. And judges will set bail at whatever level seems right and fits in with state law and guidance. As Bruce says, unemployed people are more likely to disappear, so that will affect it. So will many other things, and judges have to take account of them all when they set bail. Same for passing sentence - the judge has discretion to set the sentence according to the actual facts of the case and what he or she thinks is deserved.

  • Bruce
    Lv 6
    7 years ago

    State laws generally have to be Constitutional but may vary from each other so long as they are. The setting of bail bonds is largely left to the discretion of state court judges. The reason employment and such matters affect bail is because unemployed people are more likely to disappear than employed folks, and the same reasoning applies to many other factors. Most, if not all, courts have a recommended bail schedule for common offenses and the judges usually stick to it.

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