Eleventh Amendment: Postbellum Doctrine | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov

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href="/web/20210516115604/https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-11">Eleventh Amendment</a> >  Amdt11.1.2 Eleventh Amendment: Postbellum Doctrine  </div> <nav class="next-previous-search"> <div class="next-previous-search-previous"> <a id="prev_essay" class="next-previous-search-link next-previous-search-link-previous" href="/web/20210516115604/https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt11-1-1/ALDE_00000984/" title="Amdt11.1.1 Eleventh Amendment: Early Doctrine"><i class="fas fa-angle-left"></i><span class="next-previous-search-text-wrapper"><span class="next-previous-search-text-id next-previous-search-text-previous"> Amdt11.1.1</span><span class="next-previous-search-text next-previous-search-text-previous"> Eleventh Amendment: Early Doctrine</span></span></a> </div> <div class="next-previous-search-next"> <a id="next_essay" class="next-previous-search-link" href="/web/20210516115604/https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt11-1-3-1/ALDE_00000986/"><span class="next-previous-search-text-wrapper" title="Amdt11.1.3.1 General Scope of State Sovereign Immunity"><span class="next-previous-search-text-id">Amdt11.1.3.1 </span><span class="next-previous-search-text"> General Scope of State Sovereign Immunity </span></span><i class="fas fa-angle-right"></i></a> </div> </nav> <h1 class="essay-title" id="essay-title">Amdt11.1.2 Eleventh Amendment: Postbellum Doctrine</h1> <div class="row-essay"> <div class="column-essay-content"> <article class="essay-body" aria-labelledby="essay-title"> <p class="const-intro">Eleventh Amendment:</p> <p class="const-context">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.</p><p>Until the period following the Civil War, Chief Justice Marshall’s understanding of the Amendment generally prevailed. The aftermath of that conflict, however, presented the Court occasion to consider anew the circumstances and import of the Amendment's adoption. Following the war, Congress effectively gave the federal courts general federal question jurisdiction,<sup><a class="context-footnote" id="essay-1" href="#ALDF_00009758">1</a></sup><span class="essay-tooltip-text footnotes aside" aria-hidden="true" hidden><span class="text-accent h4">Footnote<br></span><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009758"></span>Act of March 3, 1875, ch. 137, 搂 1, 18 Stat. 470. <em>See</em> discussion under <q>Development of Federal Question Jurisdiction,</q> <em>supra</em>.</span> at a time when a large number of states in the South were defaulting on their revenue bonds in violation of the Contract Clause of the Constitution.<sup><a class="context-footnote" id="essay-2" href="#ALDF_00009759">2</a></sup><span class="essay-tooltip-text footnotes aside" aria-hidden="true" hidden><span class="text-accent h4">Footnote<br></span><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009759"></span><em>See, e.g.</em>, <span class="cite cite-type-periodical"><span class="author">Orth</span>, <span class="title title-type-article">The Eleventh Amendment and the North Carolina State Debt</span>, 59 <span class="title title-type-journal">N.C. L. Rev.</span> 747 (1981)</span>; <span class="cite cite-type-periodical"><span class="author">Orth</span>, <span class="title title-type-article">The Fair Fame and Name of Louisiana: The Eleventh Amendment and the End of Reconstruction</span>, 2 <span class="title title-type-journal">Tul. Law.</span> 2 (1980)</span>; <span class="cite cite-type-periodical"><span class="author">Orth</span>, <span class="title title-type-article">The Virginia State Debt and the Judicial Power of the United States</span>, in <span class="title title-type-journal">Ambivalent Legacy: A Legal History of the South</span> 106 (D. Bodenhamer & J. Ely eds., 1983)</span>.</span> As bondholders consequently sought relief in federal courts, the Supreme Court gradually worked itself into the position of holding that the Eleventh Amendment, or, more properly speaking, the principles <q>of which the Amendment is but an exemplification,</q><sup><a class="context-footnote" id="essay-3" href="#ALDF_00009760">3</a></sup><span class="essay-tooltip-text footnotes aside" aria-hidden="true" hidden><span class="text-accent h4">Footnote<br></span><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009760"></span><span class="cite cite-type-case"><a class="external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep256/usrep256490/usrep256490.pdf" target="_blank"><span class="title">Ex parte New York (No. 1)</span>, <span class="vrpd">256 U.S. 490, 497 (1921)</span></a></span>.</span> is a bar not only of suits against a state by citizens of other states, but also of suits brought by citizens of that state itself.<sup><a class="context-footnote" id="essay-4" href="#ALDF_00009761">4</a></sup><span class="essay-tooltip-text footnotes aside" aria-hidden="true" hidden><span class="text-accent h4">Footnote<br></span><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009761"></span><em>E.g.</em>, <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a class="external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep123/usrep123443/usrep123443.pdf" target="_blank"><span class="title">In re Ayers</span>, <span class="vrpd">123 U.S. 443 (1887)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a class="external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep117/usrep117052/usrep117052.pdf" target="_blank"><span class="title">Hagood v. Southern</span>, <span class="vrpd">117 U.S. 52 (1886)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a class="external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep114/usrep114270/usrep114270.pdf" target="_blank"><span class="title">The Virginia Coupon Cases</span>, <span class="vrpd">114 U.S. 270 (1885)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a class="external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109446/usrep109446.pdf" target="_blank"><span class="title">Cunningham v. Macon & Brunswick R.R.</span>, <span class="vrpd">109 U.S. 446 (1883)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a class="external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep107/usrep107711/usrep107711.pdf" target="_blank"><span class="title">Louisiana v. Jumel</span>, <span class="vrpd">107 U.S. 711 (1882)</span></a></span>. In <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a class="external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep107/usrep107769/usrep107769.pdf" target="_blank"><span class="title">Antoni v. Greenhow</span>, <span class="vrpd">107 U.S. 769, 783 (1883)</span></a></span>, three concurring Justices propounded the broader reading of the Amendment that soon prevailed.</span></p> </article> </div> <aside class="column-essay-aside"> <section class="aside"> <h2>Topics</h2> <ul class="aside-list"> <li><a href="/web/20210516115604/https://constitution.congress.gov/searchessayfacet/Federalism/">Federalism</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20210516115604/https://constitution.congress.gov/searchessayfacet/Supreme_Court/">Supreme Court</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20210516115604/https://constitution.congress.gov/searchessayfacet/War/">War</a></li> </ul> </section> </aside> </div> </div> <div class="essay-footnotes"> <h2 class="text-accent h4">Footnotes</h2> <ol class="footnotes"><li class="footnote" id="ALDF_00009758"><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009758"></span><a href="#essay-1" title="Jump to essay-1"><i class="fas fa-angle-up" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span class="screen-readers-only">Jump to essay-1</span></a>Act of March 3, 1875, ch. 137, § 1, 18 Stat. 470. <em>See</em> discussion under <q>Development of Federal Question Jurisdiction,</q> <em>supra</em>.</li><li class="footnote" id="ALDF_00009759"><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009759"></span><a href="#essay-2" title="Jump to essay-2"><i class="fas fa-angle-up" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span class="screen-readers-only">Jump to essay-2</span></a><em>See, e.g.</em>, <span class="cite cite-type-periodical"><span class="author">Orth</span>, <span class="title title-type-article">The Eleventh Amendment and the North Carolina State Debt</span>, 59 <span class="title title-type-journal">N.C. L. Rev.</span> 747 (1981)</span>; <span class="cite cite-type-periodical"><span class="author">Orth</span>, <span class="title title-type-article">The Fair Fame and Name of Louisiana: The Eleventh Amendment and the End of Reconstruction</span>, 2 <span class="title title-type-journal">Tul. Law.</span> 2 (1980)</span>; <span class="cite cite-type-periodical"><span class="author">Orth</span>, <span class="title title-type-article">The Virginia State Debt and the Judicial Power of the United States</span>, in <span class="title title-type-journal">Ambivalent Legacy: A Legal History of the South</span> 106 (D. Bodenhamer & J. Ely eds., 1983)</span>.</li><li class="footnote" id="ALDF_00009760"><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009760"></span><a href="#essay-3" title="Jump to essay-3"><i class="fas fa-angle-up" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span class="screen-readers-only">Jump to essay-3</span></a><span class="cite cite-type-case"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep256/usrep256490/usrep256490.pdf" class="external" target="_blank"><span class="title">Ex parte New York (No. 1)</span>, <span class="vrpd">256 U.S. 490, 497 (1921)</span></a></span>.</li><li class="footnote" id="ALDF_00009761"><span class="fn_ref" id="_ALDF_00009761"></span><a href="#essay-4" title="Jump to essay-4"><i class="fas fa-angle-up" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span class="screen-readers-only">Jump to essay-4</span></a><em>E.g.</em>, <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep123/usrep123443/usrep123443.pdf" class="external" target="_blank"><span class="title">In re Ayers</span>, <span class="vrpd">123 U.S. 443 (1887)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep117/usrep117052/usrep117052.pdf" class="external" target="_blank"><span class="title">Hagood v. Southern</span>, <span class="vrpd">117 U.S. 52 (1886)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep114/usrep114270/usrep114270.pdf" class="external" target="_blank"><span class="title">The Virginia Coupon Cases</span>, <span class="vrpd">114 U.S. 270 (1885)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109446/usrep109446.pdf" class="external" target="_blank"><span class="title">Cunningham v. Macon & Brunswick R.R.</span>, <span class="vrpd">109 U.S. 446 (1883)</span></a></span>; <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep107/usrep107711/usrep107711.pdf" class="external" target="_blank"><span class="title">Louisiana v. Jumel</span>, <span class="vrpd">107 U.S. 711 (1882)</span></a></span>. In <span class="cite cite-type-case"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep107/usrep107769/usrep107769.pdf" class="external" target="_blank"><span class="title">Antoni v. Greenhow</span>, <span class="vrpd">107 U.S. 769, 783 (1883)</span></a></span>, three concurring Justices propounded the broader reading of the Amendment that soon prevailed.</li></ol> </div> </main> <footer class="footer-wrapper"> <div class="footer-container"> <div class="footer-logo"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/https://www.congress.gov/" class="logo-congress"><img alt="Congress.gov" width="212" src="/web/20210516115604im_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/images/logo-congress.svg"/></a> </div> <div class="footer-tertiary"> <ul class="footer-tertiary-links"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/https://www.loc.gov/legal">Legal</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/https://www.congress.gov/accessibility">Accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/https://www.loc.gov/legal/standard-disclaimer-for-external-links/">External Link Disclaimer</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://www.usa.gov/" target="_blank">USA.gov</a></li> </ul> <ul class="footer-tertiary-partners"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://www.loc.gov/" class="logo-loc"><img alt="Library of Congress" width="114" src="/web/20210516115604im_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/images/logo-loc.svg"/></a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/http://www.copyright.gov/" class="logo-copyright"><img alt="Copyright.gov" width="167" src="/web/20210516115604im_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/images/logo-copyright.svg"/></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </footer> <div class="top-link"> <a href="#" class="sticky-back-to-top" style=""><i class="fa fa-arrow-up" aria-hidden="true"></i><span> Back to top</span></a> </div> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20210516115604cs_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/css/style.css"> <script src="/web/20210516115604js_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/js/jquery-3.3.1.min.js"></script> <script><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//web.archive.org/web/20210516115604/https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v5.7.2/css/all.css"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> $(function () { var scroll_timer, displayed = false, $message = $('.top-link a').hide(), $window = $(window), top = $(document.body).children(0).position().top; $(".sticky-back-to-top").click(function(event){ $window.scrollTop(0); event.preventDefault(); return false; }); $window.scroll(function () { window.clearTimeout(scroll_timer); scroll_timer = window.setTimeout(function () { if($window.scrollTop() <= top){ displayed = false; $message.fadeOut(800); }else if(displayed == false){ displayed = true; $message.stop(true, true).show().click(function () { $message.fadeOut(800); }); } }, 100); }); }); </script> <script src="/web/20210516115604js_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/js/jquery-3.3.1.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20210516115604js_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/js/jquery.cookie.js"></script> <script src="/web/20210516115604js_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/js/jquery-ui.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20210516115604js_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/js/popper.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20210516115604js_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/js/header.js"></script> <script src="/web/20210516115604js_/https://constitution.congress.gov/static/js/jquery-accessible-hide-show-aria.js"></script>  <div class="loader-wrapper" style="display: none;"> <div class="loader"> <i class="fas fa-circle-notch fa-spin fa-3x"></i> <span class="screen-readers-only">Loading...</span> </div> </div>  <div hidden> <span id="new-window-0">Opens in a new window</span> </div> <script> jQuery(function($){ $('a.external').each(function() { $(this).attr('aria-describedby', 'new-window-0'); }); }); </script> <script> var csrftoken = $.cookie('csrftoken'); function csrfSafeMethod(method) { // these HTTP methods do not require CSRF protection return (/^(GET|HEAD|OPTIONS|TRACE)$/.test(method)); } $.ajaxSetup({ beforeSend: function(xhr, settings) { if (!csrfSafeMethod(settings.type) && !this.crossDomain) { xhr.setRequestHeader("X-CSRFToken", csrftoken); } } }); jQuery(function ($) { var value; $(".context-footnote").click(function () { if(typeof value !== "undefined"){ prev=$(value); prev[0].innerHTML = prev[0].innerHTML.replace("<mark>","") prev[0].innerHTML = prev[0].innerHTML.replace("</mark>","") } value = $(this).attr("href"); $(value).wrapInner("<mark></mark>"); }); }); </script>  <script>_satellite.pageBottom();</script> </body> </html>

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