Amendments
Amendment IX
Constitution of the United States
Official text
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Proposed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791.
In plain English
Listing some rights in the Constitution does not mean the people have no others. This answered a Federalist worry that a bill of rights might be read as a complete list. The Amendment protects unlisted rights from being denied because they were not listed; it does not itself tell judges which unlisted rights exist.
Plain-English summary drafted by Christian Vote USA; editor review pending. Always read the official text above.
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Learn more
- The Ninth Amendment: Rights Retained by the People (The Bill of Rights)
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