U.S. Constitution

Articles

Amendments

1. §1 — const_amend1

   The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits Congress from establishing a religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging freedoms of speech and press, or restricting the rights to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

2. §2 — const_amend2

   The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms, emphasizing its necessity for the security of a free State and a well-regulated Militia.

3. §3 — const_amend3

   This amendment prohibits the quartering of soldiers in private homes without the owner's consent during peacetime, and only according to law during wartime.

4. §4 — const_amend4

   This amendment protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, stipulating that warrants must be issued only upon probable cause, supported by oath, and must particularly describe the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

5. §5 — const_amend5

   This amendment guarantees several fundamental rights in legal proceedings, including the right to a grand jury indictment for serious crimes, protection against double jeopardy and self-incrimination, the right to due process of law, and just compensation for private property taken for public use.

6. §6 — const_amend6

   This amendment guarantees several rights to the accused in criminal prosecutions, including the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, to be informed of the accusation, to confront witnesses, to compel favorable witnesses, and to have the assistance of counsel.

7. §7 — const_amend7

   This amendment preserves the right to a jury trial in civil cases where the value in controversy exceeds twenty dollars and limits the re-examination of facts found by a jury to the rules of common law.

8. §8 — const_amend8

   This amendment prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments.

9. §9 — const_amend9

   This amendment clarifies that the enumeration of specific rights in the Constitution does not deny or disparage other rights retained by the people.

10. §10 — const_amend10

    The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution affirms that powers not delegated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or to the people.

11. §11 — const_amend11

    The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution clarifies that the judicial power of the United States does not extend to suits commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state.

12. §12 — const_amend12

    The Twelfth Amendment outlines the procedure for electing the President and Vice-President by the Electoral College, requiring separate ballots for each office. It details the counting of electoral votes, the role of the House of Representatives in choosing the President if no majority is met, and the Senate's role in selecting the Vice-President.

13. §13 — Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

    Section 1 of the Thirteenth Amendment prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States and its jurisdiction, with the sole exception being as a punishment for a duly convicted crime.

14. §13 — Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

    Section 2 of the Thirteenth Amendment grants Congress the authority to enforce the provisions of the amendment through the enactment of appropriate legislation.

15. §13 — preamble

    The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

16. §14 — Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

    Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment defines U.S. citizenship, establishes that states cannot abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens, and guarantees due process of law and equal protection of the laws to all persons within a state's jurisdiction.

17. §14 — Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

    Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment outlines the apportionment of representatives among the states based on population, and specifies that a state's basis of representation shall be reduced if it denies or abridges the voting rights of its male citizens aged twenty-one or older, with exceptions for rebellion or other crime.

18. §14 — Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

    Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment disqualifies individuals who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States after taking an oath to support the Constitution from holding federal or state office. However, Congress has the power to remove this disability by a two-thirds vote of each House.

19. §14 — Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

    Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment affirms the validity of the public debt of the United States and prohibits the United States or any State from assuming or paying debts incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion, or for the loss or emancipation of slaves, declaring such debts and claims illegal and void.

20. §14 — Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

    Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment grants Congress the explicit power to enforce the provisions of this entire article through appropriate legislation.

21. §14 — preamble

    The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution addresses citizenship rights, privileges and immunities, due process, and equal protection under the law, and includes provisions related to Reconstruction.

22. §15 — Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

    Section 1 of the Fifteenth Amendment guarantees that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

23. §15 — Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

    This section of the 15th Amendment grants Congress the authority to enact appropriate legislation to enforce the provisions of the article.

24. §15 — preamble

    The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's 'race, color, or previous condition of servitude.'

25. §16 — const_amend16

    This amendment grants Congress the power to levy and collect taxes on incomes from any source, without requiring apportionment among the states or regard to any census.

26. §17 — const_amend17

    The 17th Amendment establishes that U.S. Senators shall be elected by popular vote in each state for six-year terms, with state executive authorities empowered to make temporary appointments to fill vacancies until an election can be held.

27. §18 — Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

    This section of the 18th Amendment prohibits the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes within the United States and its territories, effective one year after its ratification.

28. §18 — Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

    This section of the 18th Amendment grants both the United States Congress and the individual States concurrent power to enforce the provisions of this article through appropriate legislation.

29. §18 — Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

    This section specifies that the 18th Amendment would become inoperative if not ratified by the legislatures of the several States within seven years from its submission by Congress, as outlined in the Constitution.

30. §18 — preamble

    This document is the heading for the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

31. §19 — const_amend19

    The 19th Amendment prohibits the United States or any State from denying or abridging the right of citizens to vote based on sex, and grants Congress the power to enforce this article through appropriate legislation.

32. §20 — Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

    This section sets the dates for the end of terms for the President, Vice President, Senators, and Representatives, and the commencement of terms for their successors, as January 20th and January 3rd, respectively.

33. §20 — Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

    This section mandates that Congress shall convene at least once annually, with their meeting commencing at noon on January 3rd, unless a different date is legally designated.

34. §20 — Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

    This section outlines the succession rules if a President-elect dies or fails to qualify before their term begins, stipulating that the Vice President-elect becomes acting President or, if neither qualifies, Congress may designate an acting President.

35. §20 — Section 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

    This section grants Congress the authority to legislate for cases involving the death of individuals from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President, or from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President, when such choices devolve upon them.

36. §20 — Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

    This section establishes that Sections 1 and 2 of the Twentieth Amendment will become effective on the 15th day of October following its ratification.

37. §20 — Section 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

    This section stipulates that the article will not become operative unless it is ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the States within seven years from the date of its submission.

38. §20 — preamble

    This document is the heading for the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

39. §21 — Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

    This section formally repeals the Eighteenth Article of Amendment to the United States Constitution, effectively ending Prohibition.

40. §21 — Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

    This section prohibits the transportation or importation of intoxicating liquors into any U.S. state, territory, or possession for delivery or use in violation of its local laws.

41. §21 — Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

    This section stipulates that the article will only become operative if it is ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by state conventions within seven years of its submission by Congress.

42. §21 — preamble

    This document is the heading for the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution.

43. §22 — Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

    This section limits any person to two terms as President, and to one election if they served more than two years of another's term. It includes a grandfather clause, exempting the incumbent President when the Article was proposed and allowing them to complete their current term.

44. §22 — Section 2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.

    This section declares the article inoperative unless ratified as a constitutional amendment by the legislatures of three-fourths of the States within seven years of its submission by Congress.

45. §22 — preamble

    This document identifies as the preamble for the Twenty-Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

46. §23 — Section 1. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct:

    This section grants the District of Columbia electoral votes for President and Vice President, equal to the number of Senators and Representatives it would have if it were a state, but no more than the least populous state, and outlines their function in accordance with the Twelfth Amendment.

47. §23 — Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

    This section grants Congress the authority to enforce the provisions of this constitutional article through appropriate legislation.

48. §23 — preamble

    This brief section introduces the Twenty-Third Amendment to the United States Constitution.

49. §24 — Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

    This section prohibits the denial or abridgment of a citizen's right to vote in federal elections due to the failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

50. §24 — Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

    This section grants Congress the authority to enact appropriate legislation for the enforcement of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment.

51. §24 — preamble

    This brief section introduces the Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

52. §25 — Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

    This section specifies that the Vice President assumes the presidency upon the President's removal from office, death, or resignation.

53. §25 — Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

    This section establishes the procedure for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, requiring a presidential nomination and confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

54. §25 — Section 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

    This section outlines the process for temporary presidential disability, stating that the Vice President assumes the powers and duties as Acting President upon the President's written declaration of inability to discharge office, and until the President transmits a written declaration to the contrary.

55. §25 — Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

    This section establishes the process for the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet to declare the President unable to discharge office, leading to the Vice President assuming powers as Acting President, and outlines the congressional procedure for resolving disputes regarding the President's ability to resume duties.

56. §25 — preamble

    This brief section introduces the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

57. §26 — Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

    This section guarantees the right to vote for U.S. citizens who are eighteen years of age or older, prohibiting its denial or abridgment by the United States or any State on account of age.

58. §26 — Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

    This section grants Congress the power to enforce the provisions of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment through appropriate legislation.

59. §26 — preamble

    This brief section introduces the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

60. §27 — const_amend27

    This amendment stipulates that any law changing the compensation for the services of Senators and Representatives shall not take effect until an election of Representatives has intervened.