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This screenshot shows a comparison of the page archived by the Wayback Machine as it appeared on July 17, 2025, left, with how it appeared on August 6, 2025, right. The highlighted text shows a portion of what was removed.<\/p>\nEXPLAINER<\/p>\n
A Library of Congress website temporarily omitted parts of Article 1 due to a coding error corrected later that day.<\/p>\n
By\u00a0Samantha Putterman | Politifact<\/p>\n
Published On 8 Aug 20258 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take long for internet sleuths to notice that something was missing on the Library of Congress website that annotates the United States Constitution.<\/p>\n
Reddit users pointed out on Wednesday that the website omitted text from some sections of Article 1, which include provisions about the right of habeas corpus as well as limits on congressional and state power. Using the Internet Archive\u2019s Wayback Machine, people found that the full text appeared on the Library of Congress website on July 17 but was missing in snapshots after that date.<\/p>\n
Some people mistakenly said President Donald Trump\u2019s administration removed these provisions from the constitution entirely without Congress\u2019s input.<\/p>\n
\u201cBREAKING: The official US government website has quietly removed Sections 9 and 10 of Article I from the Constitution,\u201d one Threads post said on Wednesday. \u201cLet me say that again: They didn\u2019t amend the Constitution. They didn\u2019t debate it in Congress. They just erased two of the most protective sections; the ones that deal with habeas corpus, limits on federal power, and Congress\u2019s sole authority to set tariffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Altering the text on a website would not remove or erase sections of the constitution. It can be changed only through a formal amendment process, which begins in the US Congress, which can modify or replace existing provisions. The constitution\u2019s full text is also available on the websites for the National Archives and the nonprofit National Constitution Center.<\/p>\n
The amendment process outlined in Article 5 is the only way to alter the constitution. Any proposed amendment must first be approved by a two-thirds vote in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. Then it must be ratified by three-quarters of the state legislatures or via state ratifying conventions.<\/p>\n
Government website omits constitution sections<\/p>\n
On Wednesday about 11am in Washington, DC (15:00 GMT), the Library of Congress posted on X that the missing sections were \u201cdue to a coding error\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been working to correct this and expect it to be resolved soon,\u201d the post read. The website on Wednesday also displayed a banner that said: \u201cThe Constitution Annotated website is currently experiencing data issues. We are working to resolve this issue and regret the inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The institution issued an\u00a0update on X\u00a0a few hours later that the website was fixed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMissing sections of the Constitution Annotated website have been restored,\u201d it said. \u201cUpkeep of Constitution Annotated and other digital resources is a critical part of the Library\u2019s mission, and we appreciate the feedback that alerted us to the error and allowed us to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article 1 establishes the federal government\u2019s legislative branch. Its missing sections included portions of Section 8 and all of Sections 9 and 10, which largely focus on limits on congressional and state power.<\/p>\n
Before being restored, the text of Article 1 ended in Section 8, just before a line that lists Congress\u2019s ability to provide and maintain a navy.<\/p>\n
This screenshot shows a comparison of the page archived by the Wayback Machine as it appeared on July 17, 2025, left, with how it appeared on August 6, 2025, right. The highlighted text shows a portion of what was removed.<\/p>\n
Section 9, which was temporarily deleted, details limits on congressional power. It addresses habeas corpus, the legal procedure that grants people in government custody the right to challenge their detention in court. The section says Congress may not suspend habeas corpus \u201cunless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it\u201d.<\/p>\n