Official documents of the CNMI. 

The Commonwealth Constitution was created by thirty-nine elected delegates during a constitutional convention on Saipan in 1976. It was ratified by voters on March 6, 1977, and became effective on January 9, 1978. Key provisions, such as the bill of rights and the separation of government powers, are mandated by the Covenant. Notable events include the ratification of forty-four amendments in 1985 and eighteen amendments from various legislative initiatives between 1987 and 2014. 

The Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States is a mutually binding agreement that outlines the self-governing status of the Northern Mariana Islands within the American political framework. Negotiated over twenty-seven months by the Marianas Political Status Commission and a U.S. delegation, the Covenant was officially signed on February 15, 1975, in Saipan. The approval process involved unanimous endorsement by the Mariana Islands District Legislature on February 20, 1975, followed by a plebiscite on June 17, 1975, where 78.8% of eligible voters approved the Covenant. Subsequently, it received congressional approval and was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on March 24, 1976. Certain provisions became effective on that date, while others took effect on January 9, 1978, and November 4, 1986, the latter marking the date residents became U.S. citizens. Modifications to fundamental provisions require mutual consent from both the United States and Commonwealth Governments. A copy of the Covenant was submitted to the United Nations on March 3, 1975, for official circulation.