Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution

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The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution is a 1795 amendment that limits the ability of individuals to bring suits against states in federal court, reinforcing the principle of state sovereign immunity.

Aliases (1)
  • Eleventh Amendment ×1

Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf amendment to the United States Constitution
constitutional amendment
adoptedBy United States of America
aimsTo protect states from certain types of federal court litigation
allowsException suits against state officials for prospective injunctive relief under Ex parte Young doctrine
suits authorized by Congress under Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment in some circumstances
suits where a state consents to be sued
appliesTo civil suits against states
suits commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state
suits commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens or subjects of a foreign state
suits in law or equity
category Amendments dealing with federalism in the United States
United States sovereign immunity law
country United States of America
enforcedBy federal courts of the United States
field constitutional law
federal courts law
followedBy Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution
follows Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
governs suits against U.S. states by foreign citizens or subjects
suits against U.S. states by out-of-state citizens
hasNumber 11
interpretedBy Supreme Court of the United States
jurisdiction United States federal courts
keyCase Alden v. Maine
Ex parte Young
Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer
Hans v. Louisiana
Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida
language English
legalDoctrine sovereign immunity of the states from private suits
state sovereign immunity
legalEffect limits the ability of individuals to sue states in federal court
reinforces the doctrine of state sovereign immunity
limits Article III judicial power over suits against states
motivatedBy Supreme Court decision in Chisholm v. Georgia
partOf United States Constitution
proposedBy United States Congress
proposedOn 1794
ratificationOrder first amendment adopted after the Bill of Rights
ratifiedBy state legislatures of the United States
ratifiedOn 1795
responseTo Chisholm v. Georgia
shortName Eleventh Amendment
subject federal jurisdiction
lawsuits against states
state sovereign immunity
textBegins "The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity"
timePeriod Early national period of United States history


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