Have sections of the US Constitution gone missing from government website?

EXPLAINER

It didn’t take long for internet sleuths to notice that something was missing on the Library of Congress website that annotates the United States Constitution.

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’s 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.

Some people mistakenly said President Donald Trump’s administration removed these provisions from the constitution entirely without Congress’s input.

“BREAKING: The official US government website has quietly removed Sections 9 and 10 of Article I from the Constitution,” one Threads post said on Wednesday. “Let me say that again: They didn’t amend the Constitution. They didn’t 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’s sole authority to set tariffs.”

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’s full text is also available on the websites for the National Archives and the nonprofit National Constitution Center.

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.

Government website omits constitution sections

On Wednesday about 11am in Washington, DC (15:00 GMT), the Library of Congress posted on X that the missing sections were “due to a coding error”.

“We have been working to correct this and expect it to be resolved soon,” the post read. The website on Wednesday also displayed a banner that said: “The Constitution Annotated website is currently experiencing data issues. We are working to resolve this issue and regret the inconvenience.”

The institution issued an update on X a few hours later that the website was fixed.

“Missing sections of the Constitution Annotated website have been restored,” it said. “Upkeep of Constitution Annotated and other digital resources is a critical part of the Library’s mission, and we appreciate the feedback that alerted us to the error and allowed us to fix it.”

Article 1 establishes the federal government’s 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.

Before being restored, the text of Article 1 ended in Section 8, just before a line that lists Congress’s ability to provide and maintain a navy.

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 “unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it”.

Habeas corpus has been in the headlines during the second Trump administration. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters in May that the administration was looking into suspending habeas corpus. Later that month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrongly said habeas corpus is a right the president has to remove people from the US.

Section 10, which was also temporarily removed, covers restrictions on US states, including regulating tariffs without Congress’s consent.

Our ruling

A Threads post said an official US government website “quietly removed Sections 9 and 10 of Article I from the Constitution” without input from Congress.

On Wednesday, the Library of Congress’s annotated website of the US Constitution was missing sections of Article 1.

The library said the issue was related to a coding error, and it was corrected shortly afterwards.

Website alterations do not affect US law or the constitution. The document can be changed only through a formal amendment process initiated by Congress.