The U.S. Constitution requires a decennial (every 10 years) national population census, with the next decennial census scheduled for 2030.
January 01, 2030
high
temporal
Legal requirement and scheduling cadence for the U.S. population count.
Under U.S. law and constitutional principles, U.S. military service members are obligated not to follow unlawful orders and may refuse to carry out illegal orders.
November 20, 2025
high
legal
Describes a durable legal and constitutional principle governing the obligations of military personnel when confronted with orders they believe to be illegal.
Individuals are not required to carry out orders that violate the law or the U.S. Constitution.
November 20, 2025
high
legal
General legal and ethical principle regarding obedience to orders cited in discussions about military and civilian responsibilities.
U.S. immigration law and the U.S. Constitution recognize a distinction between noncitizens stopped at or near the border and noncitizens who reside within the country, with due process protections applying to noncitizens residing within the country but not to those stopped at or near the border.
November 20, 2025
high
legal
Summarizes a long-recognized legal distinction affecting the scope of constitutional due process protections for noncitizens.
U.S. federal courts have generally recognized that noncitizens who are detained while residing within the United States are entitled to constitutional due process protections, whereas noncitizens stopped at or near the border are not entitled to the same due process protections.
November 20, 2025
high
legal
Judicial interpretation of due process rights in the context of immigration detention and border stops.
The U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause governs the appointment of certain federal officers.
November 13, 2025
high
temporal
Identifies the constitutional provision that sets rules for appointing federal officers.
Under U.S. constitutional law, using race as a predominant factor in drawing congressional district boundaries can constitute racial gerrymandering that violates the Constitution.
November 13, 2025
high
legal
Legal standards applicable to redistricting and equal protection.
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is an office defined by the U.S. Constitution and is second in the presidential line of succession after the Vice President.
November 11, 2025
high
temporal
Constitutional role and succession order for the Speaker of the House.
U.S. constitutional protections for freedom of speech apply to anyone present in the United States, not only to American citizens.
November 11, 2025
high
legal
General legal principle about First Amendment protections as applied to persons in the U.S.
The power to impose taxes on Americans is a core constitutional power of the United States Congress.
November 06, 2025
high
legal
Constitutional allocation of taxing authority.
Some U.S. senators assert that engaging United States forces in hostilities should follow a full briefing to Congress, a public debate, and a congressional authorization vote, consistent with the U.S. Constitution.
November 06, 2025
high
legal
Describes the constitutional expectation and congressional oversight process for authorizing the use of military force as asserted by members of Congress.
Challenges to school policies that regulate student speech commonly invoke the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as the constitutional bases for protecting students' rights.
November 06, 2025
high
constitutional
Constitutional amendments frequently cited in litigation over school speech and related policies.
The U.S. Constitution's Article I vests Congress with the power to levy tariffs by authorizing it 'to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises'.
November 04, 2025
high
legal
Constitutional allocation of taxing and tariff authority between branches of government.
Criminal defendants in the United States have a constitutional presumption of innocence.
November 03, 2025
high
legal
The presumption of innocence is a foundational constitutional principle that influences courtroom procedures and rulings.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees criminal defendants the right to competent legal counsel.
November 02, 2025
high
legal
Foundational constitutional protection in U.S. criminal law.
The U.S. Constitution assigns responsibility for regulating elections to the states and to Congress and does not assign a direct role to the President in setting voting qualifications or regulating federal election procedures.
October 31, 2025
high
legal
Describes constitutional allocation of authority over election regulation and voter qualifications.
The U.S. Constitution assigns Congress responsibilities related to declaring war and exercising oversight of matters of war and peace.
October 29, 2025
high
general
Constitutional allocation of war powers and congressional oversight responsibilities.
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires approval by a two-thirds vote of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and ratification by three-fourths of the U.S. states.
October 28, 2025
high
temporal
Outlines the formal congressional and state ratification requirements for constitutional amendments.
States can petition the U.S. Congress to call a constitutional convention to consider a possible amendment, and that state-petition convention process has never occurred in U.S. history.
October 28, 2025
high
temporal
Describes an alternative Article V mechanism for proposing constitutional amendments and its historical nonuse.
Constitutional protections for freedom of speech in the United States extend to people present in the country, including noncitizens.
October 27, 2025
high
legal
General legal principle concerning First Amendment protections and their applicability.
The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution establishes that federal law takes precedence over state law, which means state officials generally cannot prosecute federal agents for actions taken in the course of their federal duties.
October 24, 2025
high
constitutional
The constitutional doctrine of federal supremacy limits state authority to interfere with federal officers performing official functions.
There is a longstanding (approximately 200-year) constitutional debate over the extent of presidential authority to deploy the military, including federalized National Guard troops, for domestic operations in U.S. cities.
October 23, 2025
high
legal
The debate concerns the constitutional limits and interplay between federal executive power and state control of National Guard forces.
In U.S. civil procedure, defendants can petition to remove a state-court civil case to federal court when they assert that federal constitutional or statutory questions are implicated.
October 22, 2025
high
legal
Removal of civil cases from state to federal court is a standard procedural option used when federal law or constitutional issues are asserted by defendants.
Due process and equal protection principles under the U.S. Constitution prohibit government officials from using courts to punish or imprison perceived personal or political enemies.
October 20, 2025
high
legal_principle
Constitutional limits on prosecutorial and government use of courts to target political opponents.
The President of the United States has the authority to federalize and deploy state National Guard troops for federal missions.
October 17, 2025
high
temporal
Federal activation of state National Guard units places them under federal control for national missions.
U.S. officials state that determinations about immigration benefits should not be based solely on constitutionally protected speech.
October 16, 2025
high
policy
Position that protected speech alone should not serve as the basis for denying immigration benefits.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides protections for a free press.
October 14, 2025
high
constitutional
Foundational legal protection often invoked in disputes over government restrictions on journalism.
The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allocates certain powers to the states.
October 10, 2025
high
constitutional
Basic allocation of powers between the federal government and the states under the U.S. Constitution.
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees due process and equal protection under the law.
October 10, 2025
high
constitutional
Fundamental constitutional protections that have been the basis for numerous legal challenges and rulings.
Under the U.S. Constitution, each chamber of Congress periodically holds brief pro forma sessions every few days to ensure continuity of operations even when no formal legislative business is conducted, and pro forma sessions can be used for brief speeches or to introduce legislation.
October 10, 2025
high
procedural
Explains the constitutional practice and typical uses of pro forma sessions in Congress.
Courts, including state appeals courts, can overturn or vacate financial penalties on constitutional grounds, including the constitutional prohibition on excessive fines.
October 09, 2025
high
temporal
Summarizes a durable judicial review principle related to limits on monetary penalties.
Federal deployments of National Guard troops to U.S. cities can give rise to legal and constitutional disputes concerning state sovereignty, local consent, and the scope of federal authority.
October 08, 2025
high
legal
Questions about National Guard deployments commonly focus on whether federal action overrides state or local control and what constitutional or statutory powers authorize such deployments.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from compelling speech by federal employees.
October 05, 2025
high
legal
Constitutional free-speech principle cited in litigation over compelled employee messaging.
Under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the President has authority to use force to repel sudden attacks against the United States.
September 01, 2025
high
constitutional
Article II is commonly cited as a constitutional source of executive authority to use military force in defense of the nation.
Federal courts have the authority to enjoin state congressional maps and to order states to redraw district maps when the maps are found to violate federal law, including the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.
March 24, 2025
high
procedural
When courts find a map unlawful, they can block its use and require the state to adopt a remedial map or have a court-ordered map implemented.
Municipal firearm regulations can be invalidated if they conflict with state preemption laws or if they are found to burden conduct protected by the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.
November 12, 2024
high
legal
General legal principle illustrated by court review of local gun-control ordinances.
The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on May 7, 1992, prohibits any law that changes the compensation of members of Congress from taking effect until after the next election of Representatives (i.e., it prevents Congress from altering its own pay during the same congressional term).
May 07, 1992
high
legal
Constitutional constraint on congressional pay changes
Legal challenges to redistricting commonly allege that drawing district lines can dilute minority voting strength and thereby violate the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
August 06, 1965
high
temporal
Typical legal bases for lawsuits challenging electoral district maps
The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on February 27, 1951, following Franklin D. Roosevelt's four presidential terms.
February 27, 1951
high
temporal
Historical origin of the presidential term limit.
The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on February 27, 1951, limits a person to being elected president of the United States to two terms.
February 27, 1951
high
legal
Defines presidential term limits under U.S. law.
The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits denying or abridging the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
February 03, 1870
high
legal
Constitutional protection against racial discrimination in voting
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on July 9, 1868, contains the Citizenship Clause that addresses birthright citizenship.
July 09, 1868
high
constitutional
The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is the constitutional provision underlying claims and disputes about birthright citizenship in the United States.
For more than 125 years, courts have interpreted the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as conferring U.S. citizenship on people born on U.S. soil, with narrow exceptions for children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force.
July 09, 1868
high
legal
Judicial interpretation of the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause as it relates to birthright citizenship.
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was intended to ensure that Black people, including formerly enslaved people, were granted U.S. citizenship.
July 09, 1868
high
historical
Purpose and historical intent behind the adoption of the 14th Amendment.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly.
December 15, 1791
high
temporal
Constitutional protections for protest and speech referenced in discussion of demonstrations.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (ratified December 15, 1791) protects freedom of speech and the right to conduct peaceful public protests, limiting government officials' ability to suppress peaceful expressive conduct.
December 15, 1791
high
legal
Foundational constitutional protection for peaceful protest in the United States.
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (ratified December 15, 1791) protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures and constrains government use of excessive force by law enforcement.
December 15, 1791
high
legal
Foundational constitutional protection limiting government seizures and use of force.
The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to counsel for individuals accused in criminal prosecutions.
December 15, 1791
high
legal
The right to appointed counsel applies in criminal cases and is distinct from counsel access in civil immigration proceedings.
The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from establishing a religion or favoring one religion over another.
December 15, 1791
high
legal
Constitutional protection limiting government actions regarding religion in public institutions, including public schools.
Article I of the United States Constitution requires that U.S. Senators and Representatives receive compensation for their services that is to be ascertained by law and paid out of the U.S. Treasury.
March 04, 1789
high
temporal
Constitutional provision governing congressional compensation
The U.S. Constitution vests Congress with the power of the purse, giving Congress primary authority over federal spending and appropriations.
March 04, 1789
high
temporal
Allocation of authority over federal budget and appropriations between branches of government.
The Federalist Papers were written in 1787-1788 to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
January 01, 1788
high
historical
A collection of essays authored to advocate for adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to declare war (Article I, Section 8).
September 17, 1787
high
temporal
Constitutional allocation of war-declaring powers between branches of the U.S. federal government.
The U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause establishes that federal law takes precedence over conflicting state law.
September 17, 1787
high
legal
Constitutional principle that allocates authority between federal and state law.
Article I of the U.S. Constitution establishes that the U.S. Congress has the authority to manage the federal budget and holds the 'power of the purse.'
September 17, 1787
high
legal
Constitutional allocation of budgetary authority.
Amending the U.S. Constitution requires approval by two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states.
September 17, 1787
high
temporal
Procedure for constitutional amendment under Article V of the U.S. Constitution.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution establishes the amendment process, allowing amendments to be proposed either by a twoâthirds vote of both Houses of Congress or by a convention called by twoâthirds of state legislatures, and requiring ratification by threeâfourths of the states.
September 17, 1787
high
legal
Describes the formal mechanisms and thresholds for amending the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. constitutional and judicial norms require government officials to comply with judicial orders, and courts view willful disobedience of judicial orders by officials as inconsistent with the Constitution.
September 17, 1787
high
legal
General principle about the obligation of government officials to obey judicial rulings.
The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reserves to the states powers not delegated to the federal government and is commonly invoked to challenge federal actions affecting state authority.
high
constitutional
Explains the constitutional basis for state-sovereignty challenges to federal exercises of power.
The U.S. Constitution assigns certain war and national-defense authorities to the executive branch under Article II and vests Congress with the constitutional authority to make decisions about war and peace, including declaring war.
high
legal
General constitutional allocation of war powers in the U.S. government.
The U.S. Constitution's 10th Amendment reserves certain powers to the states.
high
legal
Constitutional principle cited in disputes over federal deployment of troops to state jurisdictions.
The U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment guarantees due process and equal protection under the law.
high
legal
Frequently invoked in legal challenges concerning government actions affecting individuals' rights.
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and warrantless searches of a suspect's personal effects (for example, a backpack) can be challenged as unlawful unless a recognized exception to the warrant requirement applies.
high
legal
Constitutional protection limiting law enforcement searches and the basis for suppression motions.
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is commonly invoked as the constitutional source of parents' rights to make decisions about their children's care and upbringing.
high
legal
Used by litigants and courts when evaluating claims that government actors interfered with parental decision-making.
The U.S. Constitution grants the U.S. Congress the authority to declare war.
high
temporal
Fundamental allocation of war-declaring authority in the U.S. federal system.
The President of the United States has constitutional duties to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution, which encompasses safeguarding constitutional rights such as those in the Second Amendment.
high
temporal
Broad constitutional duty of the President related to protection of constitutional rights.
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war.
high
legal
Constitutional allocation of war-declaring authority between branches of the U.S. federal government.
The U.S. Constitution allocates authority over election regulations to the U.S. Congress and to the states.
high
legal
Allocation of regulatory authority for elections under the U.S. constitutional framework.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. House of Representatives must periodically hold brief pro forma sessions every few days to maintain continuity of the chamber even when formal legislative business is not conducted.
high
procedural
Constitutional practice governing continuity of congressional operations.
The Origination Clause of the U.S. Constitution requires revenue-raising bills to originate in the U.S. House of Representatives.
high
legal
Constitutional rule governing where tax and revenue legislation must be introduced.
Under United States constitutional law, the First Amendment protects speech, but communications that constitute true threats or threatening communications are not protected.
high
legal
General U.S. First Amendment principle distinguishing protected speech from threats.
The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects individuals from being deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law (the right to due process).
high
legal
Constitutional protection of due process rights referenced in discussions of detention and legal proceedings.
The U.S. Constitution assigns primary responsibility for regulating federal elections to the states and to Congress.
high
legal
Constitutional allocation of authority over federal election regulation.
The U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause and federal statutes govern the lawful appointment of interim U.S. Attorneys.
high
legal
Describes the constitutional and statutory framework for filling interim U.S. Attorney positions.
Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, known as the Speech or Debate Clause, provides members of Congress with protections against being arrested or questioned by law enforcement for actions and statements performed in the course of their legislative duties, but those protections are not absolute and their scope is subject to ongoing legal debate.
high
constitutional
Constitutional provision establishing legislative immunities and their contested limits in separation-of-powers disputes.
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to impose tariffs on imports.
high
temporal
Allocation of tariff-setting authority under the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution vests the power to levy taxes in Congress rather than in the president.
high
constitutional
Allocation of taxing power under the U.S. Constitution is relevant to legal challenges that characterize executive duties or measures as taxes.
Under the U.S. constitutional framework, states retain authority to establish the time, place, and manner of elections unless Congress enacts federal laws that expressly preempt state election procedures.
high
legal
Baseline allocation of authority between states and federal government regarding election regulation and the potential for federal preemption.
U.S. federal courts have evaluated state laws that bar transgender athletes from competing in women's sports under both Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
high
legal
Legal frameworks commonly invoked in litigation over transgender participation in sex-separated school athletics.
Under the U.S. constitutional framework, the judiciary is an independent, co-equal branch of government intended to interpret laws impartially and to serve as a check on potential excesses by the legislative and executive branches.
high
constitutional
Describes the intended role of the judiciary in the U.S. system of separated powers.
The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution can be invoked as a legal basis to challenge state criminal charges by arguing that federal law or federal official duties preempt state law.
high
legal
Use of Supremacy Clause in legal defenses against state prosecution
The Establishment Clause is part of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and prohibits the government from establishing or favoring a religion.
high
constitutional
Describes the constitutional limit on government action with respect to religion.
Public schools are government actors, so religious displays in public school classrooms can implicate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
high
legal
Explains why actions by school officials regarding religious displays are subject to Establishment Clause analysis.
Racial gerrymandering â drawing electoral district lines predominantly on the basis of race â is illegal under U.S. federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
high
legal
Legal principle applied in litigation over congressional redistricting.
The U.S. Constitution assigns primary authority to state legislatures to draw congressional district maps, subject to limitations imposed by federal law and judicial review.
high
constitutional
Foundational allocation of redistricting responsibility between state and federal systems.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution forbids government officials from firing or otherwise retaliating against government employees for engaging in expressive conduct concerning a matter of public concern.
high
legal
General legal principle regarding protected speech by government employees.
Using criminal prosecutions to punish or silence a critic can raise constitutional concerns under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
high
legal
Principle that prosecutorial actions motivated to deter protected speech may implicate free-speech protections.
The U.S. Constitution and federal law allocate appointment authority for U.S. attorneys by giving the President the power to nominate U.S. attorneys and giving the Senate the role of advising on and confirming those nominations.
high
legal
Describes the constitutional and statutory allocation of appointment and confirmation roles for U.S. attorneys.