The 11th Amendment
The 11th Amendment
The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1795, limits the jurisdiction of federal courts over cases brought against a state by citizens of another state or a foreign country. It establishes that states enjoy a degree of sovereign immunity from certain types of lawsuits in federal court. This amendment was among the first to clarify the balance of power between state and federal authority in the new Republic.
- At the time the 11th Amendment was written, the United States was still defining the relationship between the states and the newly established federal government. The young nation faced ongoing debates about federal authority and state sovereignty following the ratification of the Constitution in 1789.
- The amendment became necessary after the Supreme Court’s decision in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), which allowed a citizen of one state to sue another state in federal court. Many leaders viewed that ruling as a threat to state independence and moved quickly to amend the Constitution to protect state sovereignty.
- The 11th Amendment is significant because it reaffirmed the principle that states retain essential rights within the federal system. It strengthened the idea that balance and respect between state and federal powers are fundamental to the structure of the American Republic.
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