The Constitution of the United States
This was created by a carefully crafted Claude Prompt.
A Plain-Language Rendering
Preamble
We, the people of the United States — acting together as one nation — set out to build a stronger and fairer union than the one we had before. We want a government that delivers justice, keeps the peace at home, defends us from outside threats, looks after the well-being of all our people, and protects the blessings of freedom — not just for ourselves, but for every generation that comes after us. To accomplish all of this, we create and adopt this Constitution.
Article I — The Legislature
Congress: The Branch That Makes the Laws
Section 1 — Two Chambers
All power to make laws belongs to Congress, which is divided into two bodies: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Section 2 — The House of Representatives
Members of the House are chosen by voters every two years. To vote in House elections, a person must meet the same requirements as voters in their state’s own legislature.
To serve in the House, a person must be at least 25 years old, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must live in the state they represent.
The number of Representatives each state gets is based on its population, counted by a census taken every ten years. Free persons are counted fully. Untaxed Native Americans are not counted. All other persons — meaning enslaved people — are counted as three-fifths of a free person. Every state gets at least one Representative. Superseded by the Fourteenth Amendment (1868), which requires counting the whole number of persons in each state.
When a House seat becomes vacant, the governor of that state calls a special election to fill it.
The House chooses its own Speaker and other officers. The House alone has the power to begin impeachment proceedings against federal officials.
Section 3 — The Senate
The Senate has two Senators from every state, each serving a six-year term, with one vote each.
Senators are chosen by their state’s legislature. Superseded by the Seventeenth Amendment (1913), which gives voters the direct power to elect their Senators.
Senate seats are divided into three groups so that roughly one-third of the Senate faces election every two years.
When a Senate vacancy opens between elections, the state legislature fills it. If the legislature is not in session, the governor may make a temporary appointment until the legislature meets. Superseded by the Seventeenth Amendment (1913), which allows governors to appoint temporary replacements until a special election is held.
To serve in the Senate, a person must be at least 30 years old, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and must live in the state they represent.
The Vice President of the United States serves as President of the Senate but may vote only to break a tie.
The Senate chooses its own officers, including a President pro tempore to preside when the Vice President is absent.
The Senate alone holds impeachment trials. When the President is on trial, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides. Conviction requires a two-thirds vote. The only punishments available are removal from office and being barred from future federal office. The person may still face criminal prosecution in regular courts afterward.
Section 4 — Elections and Sessions
State legislatures set the times, places, and rules for congressional elections — but Congress may change those rules by law.
Congress must meet at least once a year, beginning on the first Monday in December. Superseded by the Twentieth Amendment (1933), which moved the start of congressional sessions to January 3.
Section 5 — Rules of Each Chamber
Each chamber judges the elections and qualifications of its own members. A majority must be present to conduct official business, though a smaller number may meet and compel absent members to attend.
Each chamber sets its own rules, may discipline members for misconduct, and may expel a member by a two-thirds vote.
Each chamber keeps and publishes a record of its proceedings, except for material that must remain secret. Individual votes are recorded when one-fifth of members demand it.
Neither chamber may recess for more than three days, or move to another location, without the other chamber’s consent.
Section 6 — Pay and Protections
Senators and Representatives are paid from the U.S. Treasury at a rate set by law. While Congress is in session, members may not be arrested except for treason, serious crimes, or breach of the peace. They may not be sued for anything they say in floor debate.
No Senator or Representative may hold any other federal office at the same time. No person holding another federal office may serve in Congress.
Section 7 — How Laws Are Made
All bills raising government revenue must begin in the House of Representatives. The Senate may propose changes.
After both chambers pass a bill, it goes to the President. If the President signs it, it becomes law. If the President vetoes it, it returns to Congress — and becomes law if two-thirds of both chambers vote for it again. If the President takes no action for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill becomes law automatically. If Congress adjourns before those ten days are up, the unsigned bill does not become law — this is known as a pocket veto.
All orders, resolutions, or votes requiring the agreement of both chambers must also go to the President for signature, with the same rules applying as for bills — except votes on adjournment.
Section 8 — What Congress Has the Power to Do
Congress has the power to:
— Collect taxes, duties, and fees to pay the nation’s debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare. All such taxes must apply uniformly across all states.
— Borrow money on behalf of the United States.
— Regulate trade with foreign countries, between states, and with Native nations.
— Set a uniform rule for becoming a U.S. citizen, and set uniform bankruptcy laws.
— Coin money, set its value, and set standards for weights and measures.
— Punish counterfeiting.
— Establish post offices and post roads.
— Grant patents and copyrights to inventors and authors, to encourage progress in science and the useful arts.
— Create federal courts below the Supreme Court.
— Define and punish crimes committed at sea and violations of international law.
— Declare war, authorize private ships to attack enemy vessels, and make rules about captured property.
— Raise and support an army. No military funding bill may extend beyond two years.
— Build and maintain a navy.
— Set rules for commanding and managing military forces.
— Call up state militias to enforce federal law, suppress rebellions, or repel invasions.
— Set rules for organizing, arming, and disciplining state militias. States keep the right to appoint militia officers and train their own forces under Congress’s standards.
— Govern the District of Columbia — the seat of the national government — and manage all federal property, including forts and arsenals.
— Make all laws necessary and proper to carry out any of the powers listed here, or any other power this Constitution gives to the federal government.
Section 9 — What Congress May Not Do
Congress may not ban the importation of enslaved persons before 1808. A tax of up to ten dollars per person imported is permitted in the meantime. Expired by its own terms in 1808. Congress banned the international slave trade effective January 1, 1808. Slavery itself was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment (1865).
The right of habeas corpus — the right to be formally charged before being held in jail — may not be suspended except during rebellion or invasion when public safety demands it.
Congress may not pass a bill of attainder — a law punishing a specific person without trial. Congress may not pass an ex post facto law — one that criminalizes an action after the fact or increases a punishment retroactively.
Direct federal taxes must be apportioned among the states according to their populations as counted by the census. Superseded by the Sixteenth Amendment (1913), which allows a federal income tax without apportionment by population.
Congress may not tax goods exported from any state.
Congress may not favor the ports of one state over another. Ships traveling between states may not be required to pay duties.
All money drawn from the Treasury must be authorized by law. A regular public accounting of all government spending must be published.
Congress may not grant titles of nobility. No federal official may accept gifts, titles, payments, or offices from a foreign government without Congress’s consent.
Section 10 — What States May Not Do
No state may make treaties, coin money, issue paper currency, pass bills of attainder, pass ex post facto laws, impair the obligation of contracts, or grant titles of nobility.
No state may tax imports or exports without Congress’s consent, except what is strictly necessary for running its own inspection programs. Revenue from any such taxes goes to the federal Treasury, and Congress may override them.
No state may tax ships entering its ports, keep troops or warships in peacetime, make agreements with other states or foreign governments, or go to war — unless actually invaded or facing immediate danger that cannot wait.
Article II — The Executive
The President: The Branch That Carries Out the Laws
Section 1 — The President and Vice President
The executive power belongs to the President of the United States, who serves a four-year term along with the Vice President.
Each state appoints a number of Electors equal to its total number of Senators and Representatives. These Electors — the Electoral College — choose the President and Vice President. No member of Congress and no federal officeholder may serve as an Elector.
Each Elector casts two votes for President. The candidate with the most votes, if a majority, becomes President. The runner-up becomes Vice President. If no one has a majority, the House of Representatives chooses the President, with each state delegation casting one vote. If there is a tie for second place, the Senate chooses the Vice President. Superseded by the Twelfth Amendment (1804), which requires Electors to cast separate ballots for President and Vice President.
Congress sets the date — the same in every state — for the Electoral College to meet and for counting the votes.
To serve as President, a person must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, and must have lived in the United States for at least fourteen years.
If the presidency becomes vacant, the Vice President takes over. Congress may provide by law for cases where both offices are vacant. Expanded and clarified by the Twentieth Amendment (1933) and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment (1967), which created detailed procedures for presidential disability and vice-presidential vacancies.
The President receives a salary that may not be raised or lowered during their term. The President may not receive any other pay from the federal government or from any state while in office.
Before taking office, the President takes this oath:
“I do solemnly swear — or affirm — that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Section 2 — The President’s Powers
The President is commander-in-chief of the Army, the Navy, and the state militias when called into national service. The President may require written reports from the heads of executive departments. The President may grant pardons and reprieves for federal offenses — but not in cases of impeachment.
With the Senate’s approval, the President may make treaties — but two-thirds of Senators present must agree. With the Senate’s confirmation, the President appoints ambassadors and other foreign ministers, Supreme Court justices, and other senior federal officials. Congress may give the President, the courts, or department heads the power to appoint lower-level officials without Senate confirmation.
The President may fill any federal vacancy while the Senate is in recess. Those appointments expire at the end of the Senate’s next session.
Section 3 — The President’s Duties
The President must regularly report to Congress on the condition of the nation and recommend measures worth its attention. In urgent circumstances, the President may call Congress into special session. If the two chambers cannot agree on when to adjourn, the President may set the date. The President receives foreign ambassadors and other representatives. The President must faithfully carry out all laws. The President commissions all federal and military officers.
Section 4 — Removal from Office
The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States may be removed from office if convicted by the Senate after impeachment by the House for treason, bribery, or other serious crimes and abuses of power.
Article III — The Judiciary
The Courts: The Branch That Interprets the Laws
Section 1 — The Courts
The judicial power — the power to interpret the laws and decide cases — belongs to one Supreme Court and to whatever lower federal courts Congress creates. Federal judges hold their offices for life as long as they behave properly. Their salaries may not be reduced while they serve.
Section 2 — What Cases Federal Courts Can Hear
Federal courts may hear cases involving the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties. They may hear cases affecting ambassadors or foreign officials; maritime and high-seas matters; cases where the United States is a party; disputes between two or more states; disputes between a state and citizens of another state; disputes between citizens of different states; and disputes involving foreign governments or their citizens. Partially superseded by the Eleventh Amendment (1795), which protects states from being sued in federal court by citizens of another state or of a foreign country.
In cases directly involving ambassadors or foreign officials, or cases in which a state is a party, the Supreme Court hears the case first — it has original jurisdiction. In all other federal cases, the Supreme Court acts as an appeals court, reviewing decisions made by lower courts. Congress may set rules about what the Supreme Court may review on appeal.
All federal criminal trials — except impeachments — must be decided by a jury in the state where the crime occurred.
Section 3 — Treason
Treason against the United States means waging war against it or giving aid and comfort to its enemies. No one may be convicted of treason without two witnesses testifying to the same specific act, or without the accused confessing in open court.
Congress sets the punishment for treason — but that punishment may not extend to the traitor’s family. A convicted traitor’s relatives may not have their own property or rights taken from them as part of the sentence.
Article IV — The States
How States Relate to Each Other and to the Nation
Section 1 — Honoring Each Other’s Laws
Every state must give full faith and credit to the laws, records, and court judgments of every other state. Congress may set rules for how this works in practice.
Section 2 — Rights of Citizens Across State Lines
Citizens of each state are entitled to the rights and privileges that citizens enjoy in every other state.
A person charged with a crime who flees to another state must be returned to the state where the crime was committed, when the governor of that state demands it.
Any person held to labor or service in one state who escapes into another state must be returned to the person who holds their service — and may not be released by any law of the state they fled to. Rendered void by the Thirteenth Amendment (1865), which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States.
Section 3 — New States and Federal Territory
Congress may admit new states into the Union. No new state may be carved out of an existing state, and no state may be formed by joining parts of two or more states, without the consent of the legislatures involved and of Congress.
Congress governs federal territories and all other property of the United States, and may make all rules needed for that purpose.
Section 4 — Federal Guarantees to the States
The United States guarantees every state a republican form of government — a representative democracy. The federal government will protect every state against invasion, and against domestic violence when the state’s legislature or governor requests it.
Article V — Amendments
How to Change the Constitution
Amendments may be proposed in two ways: by a two-thirds vote of both chambers of Congress, or by a national convention called by Congress when two-thirds of state legislatures request one.
A proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution when ratified by three-fourths of the states, either through their legislatures or through state conventions, as Congress directs.
No amendment may deprive any state of its equal representation in the Senate without that state’s consent.
No amendment passed before 1808 may affect the clause protecting the slave trade, or the clause requiring direct taxes to be apportioned by population. Expired by its own terms after 1808.
Article VI — The Supreme Law
The Constitution Rules Above Everything Else
All debts and commitments made under the Articles of Confederation remain valid under this Constitution.
This Constitution, all laws made under it, and all treaties made under its authority are the supreme law of the land. Judges in every state must follow them, even when state constitutions or state laws conflict.
Every member of Congress, every state and federal official, and every judge must take an oath to support this Constitution. No religious test may ever be required as a qualification for any federal office.
Article VII — Ratification
This Constitution takes effect when nine of the thirteen states ratify it through their own state conventions.
Done in Convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, September 17, 1787.
Signed by George Washington, President of the Convention and delegate from Virginia, and thirty-eight delegates from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Three delegates present — Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, and George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia — declined to sign.
The Bill of Rights
Amendments I Through X
Ratified December 15, 1791
Amendment I — Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
Congress may not establish an official national religion or prevent the free practice of any religion. Congress may not restrict freedom of speech or of the press. Congress may not stop people from gathering peacefully or from petitioning the government to address their grievances.
Amendment II — The Right to Bear Arms
Because a well-organized militia is necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be taken away.
Amendment III — Quartering of Soldiers
In peacetime, no soldier may be housed in a private home without the owner’s consent. In wartime, it may only be done under rules set by law.
Amendment IV — Protection Against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
People have the right to be secure in their persons, homes, papers, and possessions against unreasonable searches and seizures. No search warrant may be issued without probable cause, supported by sworn evidence, specifically describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V — Rights of the Accused; Protection of Property
No one may be tried for a serious federal crime unless a grand jury has first found sufficient evidence to charge them — except for military personnel during wartime or a public emergency.
No one may be tried twice for the same crime after being acquitted. No one may be forced to testify against themselves in a criminal case. No one may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Private property may not be taken for public use without fair compensation to the owner.
Amendment VI — Rights of the Accused at Trial
In criminal cases, the accused has the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury in the place where the crime occurred; to be informed of the charges; to hear and challenge witnesses against them; to compel witnesses to testify in their favor; and to have a lawyer.
Amendment VII — Right to a Jury Trial in Civil Cases
In civil lawsuits where the value in dispute exceeds twenty dollars, either party may request a jury trial. Once a jury has decided the facts of a case, no court may overturn those factual findings.
Amendment VIII — Protection Against Cruel Punishment
Excessive bail may not be required. Excessive fines may not be imposed. Cruel and unusual punishments may not be inflicted.
Amendment IX — Rights Retained by the People
The fact that certain rights are listed in this Constitution does not mean those are the only rights people have. All other rights not listed here remain with the people.
Amendment X — Powers Reserved to the States and the People
Any power not granted to the federal government by this Constitution, and not forbidden to the states, belongs to the states — or to the people.