The Eleventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution generally prohibits federal courts from hearing lawsuits against a state brought by citizens of another state or foreign country, establishing the principle of state sovereign immunity. It was ratified to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793).
If you or a family member have suffered a serious personal injury as a result of the negligence of a government employee or agency, you may ask, “Can I sue the United States government?” The answer is yes, you may be able to bring a claim against the U.S. government and receive compensation for your losses.
The 27th Amendment says, "No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened," meaning Congress can't give itself an immediate pay raise; any salary change must wait until after the next congressional election, allowing voters to decide if they approve. This provision acts as a check on Congressional power, preventing mid-term self-enrichment.
Amendment XII
And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.
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.
After Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president four times, the 22nd Amendment was passed to limit presidents to two terms (or eight years total).
O.L.C. Supp. 370, 370 (1974) (opining during the Nixon Administration that a President may not pardon himself based on the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case ).
Section 1 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment provides that if the President dies, resigns, or is removed from office as a result of impeachment proceedings, then the Vice President shall become President. U.S. Const. amend. XXV, § 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.
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
Previously, the Supreme Court had found in Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982) that the president has absolute immunity from civil damages actions regarding conduct within the "outer perimeter" of their duties.
sovereign immunity. Sovereign immunity is a common law doctrine under which a sovereign (e.g., a federal or state government) cannot be sued without its consent.
Aaron (1958), the Supreme Court of the United States held that federal law prevails over state law due to the operation of the Supremacy Clause, and that federal law "can neither be nullified openly and directly by state legislators or state executive or judicial officers nor nullified indirectly by them through ...
Passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of ...
A loophole still in the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution allows slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. This exception fuels a system where incarcerated people are forced to work for little or no pay, often under threat of punishment, while the state and private companies benefit.
After the Civil War
Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) later superseded Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 and effectively repealed the compromise.
The 25th Amendment, proposed by Congress and ratified by the states in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, provides the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation.
A president can be declared incompetent under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment by the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet (or another body Congress designates), jointly transmitting a written declaration to Congress that the President is unable to discharge their duties, making the VP the Acting President until Congress decides. If the President contests this, Congress must vote, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses for the disability to be confirmed and the VP to remain as Acting President.
Yes, a former U.S. President can go to jail, but a sitting President generally cannot be indicted or imprisoned because it would prevent them from performing their duties, though the Supreme Court has affirmed that presidents aren't above the law and can face prosecution after leaving office, with a President Donald Trump being convicted and sentenced to probation for felonies in 2024, highlighting the possibility of post-presidency accountability.
The President of the United States may pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the United States. They may also pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the District of Columbia. The president cannot grant pardons for violations of state laws.