Contract Clause

E53938
clause of the United States Constitution constitutional provision

The Contract Clause is a provision in the U.S. Constitution that restricts states from passing laws that impair the obligation of existing contracts.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Obligation of Contracts Clause 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf clause of the United States Constitution ⓘ
constitutional provision ⓘ
affects state legislative power ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Contract Clause ⓘ
surface form: Obligation of Contracts Clause
appliesTo U.S. states ⓘ
private contracts ⓘ
public contracts ⓘ
bindingOn all U.S. states ⓘ
category U.S. constitutional clauses ⓘ
citation Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution ⓘ
surface form: U.S. Const. art. I, § 10, cl. 1
concerns retroactive alteration of contractual obligations ⓘ
constitutionalLevel federal constitutional law ⓘ
doesNotProtect mere future expectations of contracts not yet formed ⓘ
enforcedBy federal courts ⓘ
foundInText Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution ⓘ
surface form: Article I, Section 10, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution
hasKeyCase Allied Structural Steel Co. v. Spannaus ⓘ
Dartmouth College v. Woodward ⓘ
Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. ⓘ
Fletcher v. Peck ⓘ
Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell ⓘ
United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey ⓘ
historicalContext adopted in response to state debtor-relief laws under the Articles of Confederation ⓘ
interpretedBy Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
jurisdiction United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
languageSource United States Constitution ⓘ
legalDomain constitutional law ⓘ
contract law ⓘ
state-federal relations ⓘ
limits state governments ⓘ
modernInterpretation allows some state impairment of contracts if reasonable and necessary to serve an important public purpose ⓘ
notAppliesTo federal government ⓘ
originalFocus protection of private contract rights against state interference ⓘ
originPeriod American Revolutionary era ⓘ
surface form: Founding Era of the United States
partOf Article I of the United States Constitution ⓘ
Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution ⓘ
prohibits state laws impairing the obligation of contracts ⓘ
state laws that impair existing contractual obligations ⓘ
state laws that interfere with private contracts retroactively ⓘ
protects contractual expectations existing at the time of the contract ⓘ
obligation of contracts ⓘ
purpose to protect the stability and enforceability of contracts ⓘ
to restrict state interference with private agreements ⓘ
relatedTo Due Process Clause ⓘ
Ex Post Facto Clause ⓘ
Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ
surface form: Takings Clause
scope state legislation and state governmental action ⓘ
testInModernLaw substantial impairment and reasonableness/necessity analysis ⓘ
text "No State shall ... pass any ... Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts" ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

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

Contract Clause → alsoKnownAs → Contract Clause ⓘ
this entity surface form: Obligation of Contracts Clause
John Marshall Court → constitutionalFocus → Contract Clause ⓘ