Citation Guides
How to Cite the U.S. and State Constitutions
Constitutions are cited by article or amendment, then section, then clause, using abbreviations. No year is required for provisions currently in force.
The format
U.S. Const. art. [Roman numeral], § [section], cl. [clause]
U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 3
The pieces, in order
- Document. U.S. Const. for the federal constitution; the state abbreviation for a state constitution: Cal. Const., N.Y. Const., Tex. Const.
- Article or amendment. Articles use Roman numerals (art. III); amendments use amend. and an ordinal number (amend. XIV).
- Section and clause. Section with the § symbol, clause with cl.: art. I, § 8, cl. 3 is the Commerce Clause; amend. XIV, § 1 is the Fourteenth Amendment's first section.
Common mistakes
- Citing repealed provisions without noting it: U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
- Using Arabic numerals for articles: art. 3 should be art. III.
- Spelling out "Article One Section Eight" in a citation sentence; prose can spell it out, but the citation uses the abbreviated form.
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Formats follow standard Bluebook conventions. Individual courts may impose their own citation rules; always check the local rules of the court you are filing in. CiteLaw provides legal information, not legal advice.