Constitution Sections Temporarily Disappeared from Government Website
Library of Congress fixes coding error that removed key constitutional provisions
Several important sections of the U.S. Constitution temporarily vanished from the government's official Constitution Annotated website on Wednesday due to what the Library of Congress described as a "coding error." The affected portions included parts of Article I, Section 8 and all of Sections 9 and 10, which contain provisions regarding habeas corpus and the emoluments clause. The Library of Congress, which maintains the site, restored the missing content by 2 p.m. ET after being alerted to the issue.
The missing constitutional sections covered significant governmental powers and limitations. Article I, Section 8 outlines Congress's authority to collect taxes, raise military forces, regulate commerce, and establish currency. Section 9 addresses habeas corpus protections against detention without due process and the emoluments clause restricting government officials from receiving unauthorized foreign gifts. Section 10 imposes limitations on states, including prohibitions on entering treaties with foreign nations or establishing independent currencies.
KEY POINTS
- •Key Constitution sections disappeared
- •Library of Congress fixed coding error
- •Habeas corpus provisions affected
According to archived versions of the website, the error appears to have occurred sometime after July 17, as indicated by screen captures from the Wayback Machine. During the outage, technical staff added a banner to the website acknowledging data issues and noting they were working to resolve the problem. The Constitution Annotated website provides users with tools to explore the historical context and legal implications of constitutional provisions.
The Library of Congress emphasized that maintaining digital resources like the Constitution Annotated is a critical part of its mission. A representative stated they appreciated the feedback that alerted them to the error and allowed for its correction. Other federal websites hosting digital copies of founding documents, including those maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration, were reportedly unaffected by the issue. The original physical copy of the Constitution remains housed at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, alongside other historical documents.