Guarantee Clause

E47594

The Guarantee Clause is a provision of the U.S. Constitution that obligates the federal government to ensure every state maintains a republican form of government and protection against invasion and domestic violence.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Republican Guarantee Clause 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf clause of the United States Constitution
constitutional provision
appliesInSituation state government overthrown by anti-republican forces
state requests federal assistance against domestic violence
appliesTo each state of the United States
associatedDoctrine political question doctrine
citedIn debates over Reconstruction after the American Civil War
debates over admission of new states
discussions of emergency federal intervention in states
constitutionalGoal maintenance of the Union against internal and external threats
preservation of representative democracy in the states
dateRatified 1788
distinctFrom Full Faith and Credit Clause
Privileges and Immunities Clause
Supremacy Clause
doesNotRequire state application for protection against invasion
effectiveFrom 1789
foundIn Article IV of the United States Constitution
Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution
governsRelationshipBetween United States government
surface form: federal government of the United States

state governments of the United States
guarantees protection of each state against domestic violence
protection of each state against invasion
republican form of government in every state
hasTextFragment The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government
and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence
and shall protect each of them against Invasion
historicalContext drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787
historicalPurpose to ensure stable republican governments in the states
to prevent establishment of monarchy or aristocracy in the states
interpretedBy Supreme Court of the United States
languageAuthor Framers of the United States Constitution
locatedInDocumentPart body of the original 1787 Constitution
notableCase Baker v. Carr
Luther v. Borden
Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Oregon
obligates United States government
surface form: federal government of the United States
oftenHeldToBe non-justiciable in federal courts
primaryEnforcer President of the United States
United States Congress
relatedToConcept domestic insurrection
federalism in the United States
republicanism
separation of powers between federal and state governments
state sovereignty
requires application of state legislature or governor for protection against domestic violence

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

this entity surface form: Republican Guarantee Clause
Article IV containsClause Guarantee Clause
subject surface form: Article IV of the United States Constitution
Admissions Clause relatedTo Guarantee Clause