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Constitution
The Constitution of the United States, article by article and amendment by amendment: the text, what it means, and the cases that shaped it.
Article I, Section 1: The Legislative Vesting Clause Article I opens by giving all federal lawmaking power to Congress, and only the powers "herein granted," which is the root of the nondelegation principle. Article I, Section 10: Limits on the States Section 10 forbids the states to make treaties, coin money, impair contracts or pass ex post facto laws, and bars state tariffs and compacts without Congress. Article I, Section 2: The House of Representatives Section 2 sets up the House: two-year terms, members chosen by the people, the census, apportionment, vacancies, the Speaker and the impeachment power. Article I, Section 3: The Senate Section 3 builds the Senate: two senators per state, six-year staggered terms, the Vice President's tie vote, and the Senate's power to try impeachments. Article I, Section 4: The Elections Clause Section 4 lets each state legislature run congressional elections while giving Congress power to step in, and sets an annual meeting of Congress. Article I, Section 5: Rules, Quorum and Discipline in Each House Section 5 makes each house judge of its own members, sets the quorum, lets each house write rules and expel members, and requires a journal. Article I, Section 6: Pay, Privileges and the Speech or Debate Clause Section 6 sets members' pay by law, protects their speech in Congress and travel to sessions, and bars them from holding other federal offices at the same time. Article I, Section 7: How a Bill Becomes Law Section 7 says revenue bills start in the House, every bill must pass both houses and go to the President, and a veto can be overridden by two-thirds of each. Article I, Section 8: The Powers of Congress Section 8 lists the powers of Congress, from taxing, borrowing and regulating commerce to declaring war, ending with the Necessary and Proper Clause. Article I, Section 9: Limits on Congress Section 9 lists what Congress may never do: suspend habeas corpus outside rebellion or invasion, pass attainders or ex post facto laws, or spend without law. Article II, Section 1: The Executive Power and the Electoral College Section 1 vests the executive power in a President, sets a four-year term, creates the Electoral College, and fixes qualifications, succession and the oath. Article II, Section 2: Commander in Chief, Treaties and Appointments Section 2 makes the President commander in chief, gives him the pardon power, and shares treaty-making and appointments with the Senate. Article II, Section 3: The Duties of the President Section 3 tells the President to report on the state of the Union, receive ambassadors and take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Article II, Section 4: Impeachment Section 4 allows removal of the President, Vice President and all civil officers for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Article III, Section 1: The Judicial Power Section 1 vests the judicial power in one Supreme Court and such lower courts as Congress creates, and protects judges' tenure and pay. Article III, Section 2: Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts Section 2 lists the cases federal courts may hear, gives the Supreme Court original and appellate jurisdiction, and guarantees jury trial in crimes. Article III, Section 3: Treason Section 3 defines treason narrowly as levying war or giving aid and comfort to enemies, and requires two witnesses or a confession in open court. Article IV, Section 1: Full Faith and Credit Section 1 requires each state to honor the public acts, records and court judgments of every other state, and lets Congress set how they are proved. Article IV, Section 2: Privileges and Immunities, Extradition and Fugitives Section 2 bars states from discriminating against citizens of other states, requires return of fugitives from justice, and once covered fugitive slaves. Article IV, Section 3: New States and Federal Property Section 3 lets Congress admit new states, bars carving states without consent, and gives Congress power over federal territory and property. Article IV, Section 4: The Guarantee Clause Section 4 guarantees every state a republican form of government and promises federal protection against invasion and, on request, domestic violence. Article V: Amending the Constitution Article V sets two ways to propose amendments, by Congress or a convention of the states, and requires ratification by three-fourths of the states. Article VI: Debts, the Supremacy Clause and the Oath Article VI honors pre-Constitution debts, makes the Constitution and federal law the supreme law of the land, and bars religious tests for federal office. Article VII: Ratification Article VII made the Constitution take effect once nine states ratified it, and closes with the attestation and signatures of the Convention's delegates. The Eighteenth Amendment: Prohibition The Eighteenth Amendment banned the manufacture, sale and transport of intoxicating liquors in 1920; the Twenty-first Amendment repealed it in 1933. The Eighth Amendment: Bail, Fines and Cruel and Unusual Punishments The Eighth Amendment bars excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments, and is the main constitutional limit on criminal penalties. The Eleventh Amendment: Suits Against States The Eleventh Amendment bars federal courts from hearing suits against a state brought by citizens of another state or of a foreign country. The Fifteenth Amendment: Voting Rights Regardless of Race The Fifteenth Amendment bars the United States and the states from denying the vote on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude. The Fifth Amendment: Grand Juries, Double Jeopardy, Self-Incrimination, Due Process and Takings The Fifth Amendment guarantees grand jury indictment, bars double jeopardy and compelled self-incrimination, and requires due process and just compensation. The First Amendment: Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly and Petition The First Amendment bars Congress from establishing religion or restricting its free exercise, and protects speech, press, assembly and petition. The Fourteenth Amendment: Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection The Fourteenth Amendment defines citizenship, bars states from denying due process and equal protection, and gives Congress power to enforce its guarantees. The Fourth Amendment: Searches and Seizures The Fourth Amendment protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires warrants to rest on probable cause and be particular. The Nineteenth Amendment: Women's Right to Vote The Nineteenth Amendment prohibits the United States and the states from denying or abridging the right to vote on account of sex. The Ninth Amendment: Rights Retained by the People The Ninth Amendment says listing certain rights in the Constitution does not deny or disparage others retained by the people. The Preamble: We the People The Constitution's opening sentence names who made it, the six purposes it serves, and the authority by which it binds: the people themselves. The Second Amendment: The Right to Keep and Bear Arms The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms, and the Supreme Court has held it protects an individual right. The Seventeenth Amendment: Direct Election of Senators The Seventeenth Amendment moved the election of U.S. senators from state legislatures to the voters of each state and set rules for filling vacancies. The Seventh Amendment: Jury Trial in Civil Cases The Seventh Amendment preserves the right to a jury in civil suits at common law over twenty dollars and limits re-examination of jury findings. The Sixteenth Amendment: The Income Tax The Sixteenth Amendment lets Congress tax incomes from any source without apportioning the tax among the states by population. The Sixth Amendment: Rights of the Accused The Sixth Amendment guarantees a speedy, public trial by an impartial jury, notice of the charges, confrontation of witnesses, and the assistance of counsel. The Tenth Amendment: Powers Reserved to the States and the People The Tenth Amendment reserves to the states or the people all powers not delegated to the United States and not prohibited to the states. The Third Amendment: Quartering of Soldiers The Third Amendment bars the government from forcing homeowners to quarter soldiers in peacetime, and in war only as the law prescribes. The Thirteenth Amendment: The Abolition of Slavery The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime, and gave Congress power to enforce it. The Twelfth Amendment: Electing the President and Vice President The Twelfth Amendment has electors cast separate ballots for President and Vice President and sets the contingent procedures when no one has a majority. The Twentieth Amendment: The Lame Duck Amendment The Twentieth Amendment moved the start of presidential and congressional terms to January and set rules for when a President-elect dies or fails to qualify. The Twenty-fifth Amendment: Presidential Succession and Disability The Twenty-fifth Amendment settles who becomes President on a vacancy, how the Vice Presidency is filled, and what happens when a President cannot serve. The Twenty-first Amendment: Repeal of Prohibition The Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth, and lets states control the import of liquor; it is the only amendment ratified by state conventions. The Twenty-fourth Amendment: Abolition of the Poll Tax The Twenty-fourth Amendment bars poll taxes and other taxes as a condition of voting in federal elections. The Twenty-second Amendment: Presidential Term Limits The Twenty-second Amendment limits a President to two elected terms, or to one if he served more than two years of another's term. The Twenty-seventh Amendment: Congressional Pay The Twenty-seventh Amendment says a law changing congressional pay cannot take effect until after the next House election; proposed in 1789, ratified in 1992. The Twenty-sixth Amendment: The Voting Age of Eighteen The Twenty-sixth Amendment bars the United States and the states from denying the vote to citizens aged eighteen or older on account of age. The Twenty-third Amendment: Electors for the District of Columbia The Twenty-third Amendment gives the District of Columbia presidential electors, no more than the least populous state has, but no vote in Congress.