Legal Definitions - nonconstitutional

Nonconstitutional, adjective. Refers to a legal basis or principle that is not based on the United States Constitution or a state constitution.

For example, if a court refuses to hear a defendant's argument about cruel and unusual punishment on nonconstitutional procedural grounds, it means that the court is not basing its decision on the Constitution, but on other legal principles.

Another example could be a law that is based on a state statute rather than the state constitution.

The term nonconstitutional refers to legal principles or bases that are not based on the Constitution. This means that the decision or law is based on other legal principles or sources. The examples illustrate this by showing situations where the decision or law is based on something other than the Constitution.