MIDLAND, Mich. — Constitutional opinions from Michigan attorneys general are available for the first time in a free online resource: Michigan Constitutional Archive. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation reviewed more than 7,000 opinions, dating back to 1947 when the state began its current numbering system. The database is searchable by constitutional provision, making it easier to research what the Constitution has said over time and how the state’s attorneys general have interpreted it.

The expansion includes historical opinions previously not available online through other legal databases or government websites. Records that would have required a trip to a law library are now digitally accessible. Users can navigate to a constitutional provision and browse any attorney general opinions that reference it.

The Mackinac Center launched the Michigan Constitutional Archive in 2025 to give the public access to the state’s constitutional history. The original archive brought together the full text of all 284 proposed amendments since Michigan’s 1835 Constitution, records of the 1961 Constitutional Convention debates and other primary sources documenting the Constitution’s development. The new expansion adds another dimension to that history: how Michigan’s attorneys general have interpreted its provisions. The addition of these opinions will help legal scholars locate documents relevant to Michigan constitutional law with unprecedented ease.

“This takes a ton of legwork out of constitutional research and makes it more approachable,” said Patrick Wright, vice president for legal affairs at the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. “Whether you’re an attorney, a judge, a journalist, a student or a Michigan resident interested in your government, you can now find the constitutional text, explore its history and read the attorney general opinions that reference it — all in one place.”

The expanded Michigan Constitutional Archive is free and available to everyone at mackinac.org/constitution.