Citing Constitutional Amendments: Apa Style Guide

The American Psychological Association (APA) has specific guidelines for citing sources in the APA style, which is commonly used in academic writing. When it comes to citing a constitutional amendment in APA format, there are a few key rules to follow. Firstly, it is important to note that you only need to create a reference for specific articles and amendments of the constitution and not for the entire document. The U.S. Constitution, for example, is simply referred to as U.S. Const. in the reference list and parenthetical citations, followed by the relevant amendment number in Roman numerals. State constitutions follow a similar format, using the legal state abbreviation, such as Md. Const. for the Maryland Constitution. When citing a provision that has been amended, the date of amendment should be included in parentheses. This information can be found in the Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, which is the standard reference for legal citations.

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Citing a specific amendment

When citing a specific amendment in APA style, you should follow Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions.

Begin with "U.S. Const." (or the relevant abbreviation for the state, e.g. "Md. Const." for the Maryland Constitution). Then, add the amendment number in Roman numerals, followed by the section and/or clause numbers in Arabic numerals, as relevant. For example:

> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII, § 1

> Ariz. Const. amend. I, § 9, cl. 2

Note that you should only include the date if the amendment has been repealed or amended. In such cases, include the year of repeal or amendment in parentheses, as follows:

> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933), § 1

If you are citing a state amendment, remember that the amendment number should be in Arabic numerals, not Roman numerals. For example:

> Ind. Const. amend. 1, § 1

Finally, note that APA style does not require a full reference for the whole constitution. Simply refer to it by name in the text, e.g. "The U.S. Constitution has 26 amendments".

Referencing the US Constitution

To reference the US Constitution in APA style, you should follow the Bluebook uniform system of citation for legal materials. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the standard reference for legal citations.

Firstly, if you are making a passing reference to the US Constitution, you can simply mention it in the text without a reference list entry. However, if you are using a part of the Constitution as evidence, you should construct the citation using Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions.

All citations of the US Constitution begin with "U.S. Const.", followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms article and amendment are always abbreviated as "art.", "amend.", "§", and "cl." respectively. Preamble is abbreviated to "pmbl.". Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).

If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses. For parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date.

For example, the correct citation for Article I, Section 3 of the US Constitution is:

> U.S. Const. art. I, § 3

Or, in narrative form:

> Article I, Section 3, of the U.S. Constitution

Using Bluebook Rule 11

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the standard reference for legal citations in APA Style. APA defers to Bluebook style for legal materials, and Rule 11 of The Bluebook specifically covers the citation of federal and state constitutions.

To cite a constitutional amendment using Bluebook Rule 11, follow these steps:

• Begin with "U.S. Const." for the United States Constitution or use the legal state abbreviation for state constitutions (e.g., "In. Const." for Indiana's Constitution).
• Abbreviate "amendment" as "amend." and include the amendment number in Roman numerals. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XIII" or "Ohio Const. amend. I."
• Include the section and clause numbers, if relevant. Use Arabic numerals for section and clause numbers. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XIII, § 1."
• If the part of the Constitution you are citing has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses.
• For parts of the Constitution currently in force, do not include a date.
• Follow the specific formatting guidelines provided by The Bluebook for in-text citations and reference list entries.

In-text citation: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...." (U.S. Const. pmbl.)

Reference list entry: U.S. Const. pmbl.

Remember to consult the latest edition of The Bluebook for detailed and updated guidelines on legal citations.

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In-text citations

When citing a constitutional amendment in APA style, you should begin with the abbreviation "U.S. Const." followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms "article" and "amendment" are abbreviated to "art." and "amend." respectively and are written in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while "section" and "clause" are abbreviated to "§" and "cl." and are written in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).

> The founding fathers addressed the process by which new states may join the union (U.S. Const. art. IV, § 3).

> Women gained the right to vote in 1920 (U.S. Const. amend. XIX).

> During prohibition, the sale of liquor was made illegal (U.S. Const. amend. XVIII, repealed 1933).

Note that when citing a provision that has been amended or repealed, you should include the date it was amended or repealed in parentheses, as shown in the examples above.

If you are simply making a passing reference to the U.S. Constitution without citing a specific part, you can mention it in the text without a reference list entry. However, if you are using a specific part of the Constitution as evidence to support your point, you should include a reference list entry in addition to the in-text citation.

Repealed or amended text

When citing a constitutional amendment in APA style, it is important to note that most legal materials are cited using Bluebook style, which is the standard legal citation style used across all disciplines. The Publication Manual of the APA includes a variety of legal citation examples, but citing constitutions is not among them. Thus, the Bluebook should be referred to for the standard citation format.

If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year that the part in question was repealed or amended in parentheses. For example, if you are citing the US Constitution, it should be abbreviated in reference lists and parentheticals to U.S. Const. The terms article, amendment, section, and clause are always abbreviated as art., amend., §, and cl., respectively. Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).

A repeal is the removal or reversal of a law. There are two basic types of repeal: a repeal with a re-enactment, which is used to replace the law with an updated, amended, or otherwise related law; and a repeal without replacement, which abolishes the provisions of the law altogether. A partial repeal occurs when a specified part or provision of a previous Act is repealed, but other provisions remain in force. On the other hand, a full repeal occurs when the entire Act in question is repealed.

Amending a text involves making emendations to it, such as changes or modifications, with the intention of improving it. An amendment only reflects the proposed alteration and is usually made available earlier in the legislative process. Once the amendment is adopted, a new amended version of the text is provided, incorporating the amendment into the full text.

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