List of amendments to the Constitution of the United States

Proposal and ratification process

Article Five of the United States Constitution details the two-step process for amending the nation's plan of government. Amendments must be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative. This process was designed to strike a balance between the excesses of constant change and inflexibility.

An amendment may be proposed and sent to the states for ratification by either:

• The U.S. Congress, whenever a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives deem it necessary; or
• A national convention, called by Congress for this purpose, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the states (34 since 1959). This option has never been used.

To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 since 1959) by either (as determined by Congress):

• The legislatures of three-fourths of the states; or
• State ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states.

Congress has also enacted statutes governing the constitutional amendment process. When a constitutional amendment is sent to the states for ratification, the Archivist of the United States is charged with responsibility for administering the ratification process under the provisions of . Then, upon being properly ratified, the archivist issues a certificate proclaiming that an amendment has become an operative part of the Constitution.

Since the early 20th century, Congress has, on several occasions, stipulated that an amendment must be ratified by the required number of states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states in order to become part of the Constitution. Congress's authority to set a ratification deadline was affirmed in 1939 by the Supreme Court of the United States in Coleman v. Miller (). In the absence of a deadline, an amendment can be pending indefinitely, as are the four early amendments which are still technically 'pending'. Such measures could theoretically be returned to and eventually ratified long after (hundreds of years after) being proposed to the states.

Approximately 11,985 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress since 1789 (). Collectively, members of the House and Senate typically propose around 200 amendments during each two-year term of Congress. Proposals have covered numerous topics, but none made in recent decades have been supported sufficiently in Congress to be put to the states and so none have become part of the Constitution. Historically, most died in the congressional committees to which they were assigned. Since 1999, only about 20 proposed amendments have received a vote by either the full House or full Senate. The last time a proposal gained the requisite two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate was the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment in 1978; it then failed at the ratification stage, as only 16 states had ratified it by the time the seven-year limit expired in 1985.

Ratified amendments

Synopsis of each ratified amendment

Summary of ratification data for each ratified amendment

Unratified amendments

Synopsis of each unratified amendment

Summary of ratification data for each unratified amendment

References

References

1. "Essays on Article V: Amendments". The Heritage Foundation.
2. Wines, Michael. (August 22, 2016). "Inside the Conservative Push for States to Amend the Constitution". The New York Times.
3. (August 15, 2016). "Constitutional Amendment Process".
4. "The Twenty-First Amendment". National Constitution Center.
5. Huckabee, David C.. (September 30, 1997). "Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution". [[Congressional Research Service]].
6. "Constitution Day: Proposed Amendments". Clayton State University.
7. "Measures Proposed to Amend the Constitution".
8. (June 9, 2000). "C-SPAN's Capitol Questions".
9. DeSilver, Drew. (April 12, 2018). "Proposed Amendments to the U.S. Constitution Seldom Go Anywhere".
10. (2015-10-31). "The Bill of Rights". National Archives.
11. (2015-11-04). "The Constitution: Amendments 11-27". National Archives.
12. "First Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition". National Constitution Center.
13. "Second Amendment: Right to Bear Arms". National Constitution Center.
14. "Third Amendment: Quartering of Soldiers". National Constitution Center.
15. "Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure". National Constitution Center.
16. "Fifth Amendment: Grand Jury, Double Jeopardy, Self Incrimination, Due Process, Takings". National Constitution Center.
17. "Sixth Amendment: Right to Speedy Trial by Jury, Witnesses, Counsel". National Constitution Center.
18. "Seventh Amendment: Jury Trial in Civil Lawsuits". National Constitution Center.
19. "Eighth Amendment: Excessive Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment". National Constitution Center.
20. "Ninth Amendment: Non-Enumerated Rights Retained by People". National Constitution Center.
21. "Tenth Amendment: Rights Reserved to States or People". National Constitution Center.
22. "21st Amendment: Repeal of Prohibition". National Constitution Center.
23. "22nd Amendment: Two-Term Limit on Presidency". National Constitution Center.
24. "23rd Amendment: Presidential Vote for D.C.". National Constitution Center.
25. {{cite court. (25 January 1982; vacated for mootness 4 October 1982). link
26. Stracqualursi, Veronica. (January 30, 2020). "Three Democratic attorneys general sue to have Equal Rights Amendment added to Constitution". [[CNN]].
27. {{cite court. (5 March 2021). link
28. "Virginia v. Ferriero, 525 F. Supp. 3d 36 | Casetext Search + Citator".
29. {{cite court. (28 February 2023). link
30. "Illinois v. Ferriero, 60 F.4th 704 | Casetext Search + Citator".