How to Cite a Constitutional Amendment: Bluebook, APA, MLA & Chicago

To cite a constitutional amendment, combine three pieces of information: the name of the constitution, the amendment number, and (if you’re pointing to specific language) the section and clause. The arrangement, abbreviations, and numerals shift depending on whether you’re writing under Bluebook, APA, MLA, or Chicago rules. Learning how to cite a constitutional amendment correctly is mostly a matter of matching those small details to the style guide in front of you.

Every citation, in every style, draws from the same pool:

  • The constitution’s name. Bluebook and APA abbreviate to “U.S. Const.” Chicago spells out “U.S. Constitution.” MLA italicizes the title in the Works Cited entry.
  • The amendment number, introduced by “amend.” Bluebook and APA use Roman numerals for federal amendments (amend. XIV). Chicago uses Arabic (amend. 14).
  • A section (§ or “sec.”) and, if needed, a clause (“cl.”), separated by commas.

No punctuation separates the constitution’s name from the first subdivision. Nothing is italicized in Bluebook or APA legal citation format.1Legal Information Institute. Basic Legal Citation – How to Cite Constitutions, Statutes, and Similar Materials

Bluebook Format for Legal Writing

The Bluebook (A Uniform System of Citation) governs briefs, law review articles, and court filings. Rule 11 covers constitutions. The format is compact: abbreviate everything, use Roman numerals for U.S. amendment numbers, and omit any date unless the provision is no longer in force.1Legal Information Institute. Basic Legal Citation – How to Cite Constitutions, Statutes, and Similar Materials

The whole Fourteenth Amendment:

U.S. Const. amend. XIV

Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment:

U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1

A specific clause (Article III, Section 2, Clause 2):

U.S. Const. art. III, § 2, cl. 2

Drop the section and clause when the whole amendment is the point. Add each level, comma-separated, when you need a pinpoint.1Legal Information Institute. Basic Legal Citation – How to Cite Constitutions, Statutes, and Similar Materials

Repeat Citations and Id.

When you cite the same provision back-to-back, use “Id.” If your immediately preceding citation was to U.S. Const. amend. IV, the next reference to that same provision is simply “Id.” Shifting to a different section of the same amendment: “Id. § 2.” The Bluebook does not allow “supra” or any informal short form for constitutional provisions.

APA Style

APA treats constitutional citations like other legal references, using the same abbreviated legal format in reference lists and parenthetical in-text citations. Narrative sentences can spell things out naturally.

Reference list entry for the First Amendment:

U.S. Const. amend. I

Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment:

U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1

The parenthetical mirrors the reference: (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1). In running prose: “The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides…”

A common misconception is that APA requires a ratification year in parentheses. It doesn’t. A date parenthetical belongs only when the provision has been repealed or superseded. For any amendment still in force, no date is needed. U.S. amendment numbers use Roman numerals; state amendment numbers use Arabic.

MLA Style

MLA takes a different approach from the legal styles. The MLA Style Center emphasizes documenting the version of the work you actually consulted rather than defaulting to a canonical legal format.2MLA Style Center. Documenting Legal Works in MLA Style

A typical Works Cited entry looks like this:

United States Constitution. Amend. XIV, Sec. 1.

The title is italicized, “United States Constitution” is spelled out, and “Sec.” replaces the § symbol. The in-text parenthetical is shorter:

(US Const. amend. XIV, sec. 1)

If you read the amendment on a specific website or in a specific edition, your Works Cited entry should reflect that container. An entry for the Constitution accessed through the National Archives website, for example, would include the site name and URL as with any other online source.

Chicago Style

Chicago (Chicago Manual of Style, section 17.321) differs from Bluebook in several small ways. Chicago spells out “Constitution,” uses “sec.” instead of §, and uses Arabic numerals for both amendments and articles.

Footnote for the Fifteenth Amendment, Section 1:

U.S. Constitution, amend. 15, sec. 1.

Footnote for Article I, Section 8, Clause 3:

U.S. Constitution, art. 1, sec. 8, cl. 3.

Constitutional provisions cited only in passing are generally omitted from the bibliography. A paper focused heavily on a specific amendment may list it there, using the same format as the footnote.

State Constitutional Amendments

State constitutions follow the same pattern in each style, with the state abbreviation replacing “U.S.” In Bluebook, the correct abbreviation comes from Table 10 (T10).1Legal Information Institute. Basic Legal Citation – How to Cite Constitutions, Statutes, and Similar Materials A few examples:

  • New York: N.Y. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2
  • Texas: Tex. Const. art. 1, § 3
  • Louisiana: La. Const. art. X, pt. IV

States organize their constitutions differently. Some use articles, others use parts or divisions. Use whatever subdivision labels the state itself uses. In APA, state amendment numbers take Arabic numerals rather than the Roman numerals used for federal amendments, and narrative text spells out the state name (“the California Constitution” rather than “Cal. Const.”).

Repealed or Superseded Provisions

When you cite an amendment no longer in effect, every major style requires a date parenthetical to flag that the provision has historical rather than current legal force. The Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition), repealed in 1933, is the standard example:1Legal Information Institute. Basic Legal Citation – How to Cite Constitutions, Statutes, and Similar Materials

  • Bluebook: U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
  • APA: U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
  • Chicago: U.S. Constitution, amend. 18 (repealed 1933)

The same principle applies to any provision that has been amended enough that the original language no longer appears. If you’re quoting text that predates a later amendment, include the date to flag the superseded language. Currently enforceable provisions take no date in any style.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A few errors recur, and they’re easy to fix once you spot the pattern:

  • Adding a ratification year to current amendments. “U.S. Const. amend. XIV (1868)” is wrong under Bluebook and APA. Dates are for repealed or superseded provisions only.
  • Using the wrong numeral type. Bluebook and APA use Roman for U.S. amendment numbers; Chicago uses Arabic. Mixing them is one of the most frequent formatting errors.
  • Using § in Chicago. Chicago spells out “sec.” and “Constitution.” The section symbol and “Const.” are Bluebook conventions.
  • Citing only the amendment number when quoting specific language. If your paper quotes or closely paraphrases a particular section, pinpoint to it. Otherwise the reader has to hunt.
  • Italicizing in Bluebook. Nothing in a Bluebook constitutional citation is italicized. MLA italicizes the title in the Works Cited entry; Bluebook does not.