Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution facts for kids
The Eleventh Amendment (also called Amendment XI) is an important part of the U.S. Constitution. It was approved by Congress on March 4, 1794, and then made official by the states on February 7, 1795. This amendment mainly deals with a state's sovereign immunity. It was added to the Constitution to change a decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court in a famous case called Chisholm v. Georgia.
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What the Eleventh Amendment Says
The Eleventh Amendment uses legal language, but its main idea is simple. It says:
The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.
In simpler words, this means that federal courts cannot hear lawsuits brought against a state by citizens of another state or by citizens of a foreign country.
Why the Eleventh Amendment Was Created
What is Sovereign Immunity?
The idea of "sovereign immunity" comes from old English law. It means that a government, or a "sovereign," cannot be sued without its permission. The people who wrote the U.S. Constitution knew about this idea. Many of them believed that states should be protected from private lawsuits.
The Chisholm v. Georgia Case
The Eleventh Amendment was created because of a specific Supreme Court decision. This decision was made in the case of Chisholm v. Georgia in 1793. In this case, the Court said that federal courts could hear lawsuits brought by citizens against U.S. states. This meant that states were not immune from these types of lawsuits. Many people disagreed with this ruling.
How the Amendment Changed Things
The Eleventh Amendment directly changed the Supreme Court's decision in Chisholm v. Georgia. It made it clear that federal courts do not have the power to hear lawsuits brought against a state by citizens of another state or by citizens of a foreign country.
However, the amendment does not say anything about a citizen suing their own state. Over time, the Supreme Court has made other decisions about when states can be sued. For example, in the case of Ex parte Young, the Court allowed lawsuits in federal courts against state officials who were acting unconstitutionally. This was allowed even though the state itself had sovereign immunity.
The Eleventh Amendment is one of five amendments that were added to the Constitution to change earlier Supreme Court decisions.
Images for kids
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The Eleventh Amendment document at the National Archives.
See also
In Spanish: Undécima Enmienda a la Constitución de los Estados Unidos para niños
