Oaths Clause
E54621
The Oaths Clause is the provision in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution that requires federal and state officials to swear or affirm support for the Constitution as a condition of holding office.
Aliases (2)
Statements (41)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
clause of the United States Constitution
→
constitutional provision → |
| adoptedOn |
1788
→
|
| allows |
affirmation as an alternative to a religious oath
→
|
| alsoKnownAs |
Article VI Oaths Clause
→
Oath or Affirmation Clause → |
| appliesTo |
executive officers of the United States
→
executive officers of the several states → federal officials of the United States → judicial officers of the United States → judicial officers of the several states → members of Congress → members of state legislatures → state officials of the United States → |
| bindingOn |
federal government
→
state governments → |
| cameIntoForceOn |
1789
→
|
| category |
Clauses of the United States Constitution
→
Oaths of office in the United States → |
| conditionFor |
holding federal office
→
holding state office under the United States Constitution → |
| constitutionalFunction |
to formalize allegiance to the constitutional order
→
|
| constitutionalHierarchyRole |
reinforces supremacy of the Constitution over other obligations
→
|
| country |
United States of America
→
|
| draftedByBody |
Constitutional Convention of 1787
→
|
| enforcedBy |
Congress through implementing statutes
→
|
| foundNear |
No Religious Test Clause in Article VI
→
|
| governs |
form of oath or affirmation for public officials
→
|
| hasLegalEffect |
invalidates assumption of covered offices without required oath or affirmation
→
|
| influencedBy |
colonial and state oath practices prior to 1787
→
|
| jurisdiction |
federal and state offices under the U.S. constitutional system
→
|
| language |
English
→
|
| legalSystem |
United States constitutional law
→
|
| locatedInDocument |
United States Constitution
→
|
| partOf |
Article VI of the United States Constitution
→
|
| purpose |
to ensure loyalty to the United States Constitution
→
to make support for the Constitution a condition of holding office → |
| relatedTo |
No Religious Test Clause
→
|
| requires |
oath or affirmation to support the Constitution
→
|
| textBeginsWith |
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures"
→
|
| textIncludes |
"shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution"
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Oaths Clause
("Oath or Affirmation Clause")
→
Oaths Clause ("Article VI Oaths Clause") → |
alsoKnownAs |
|
Article VI of the United States Constitution
→
|
citedAs |