What is Article 1 Section 9 Clause 4?

Asked by: Ryann Stamm  |  Last update: February 4, 2026
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Article 1, Section 9, Clause 4 of the U.S. Constitution, known as the Direct Tax Clause, states that any "capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration". This means Congress cannot levy taxes like a head tax or property tax directly on individuals or property unless the total tax revenue is divided among states based on their population, a difficult standard that led to the Sixteenth Amendment allowing for income tax without apportionment.

What is Article 1 Section 9 Clause 4 of the Constitution?

Clause 4 Direct Taxes

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

What does article 1 section 9 of the constitution mean in simple terms?

The Meaning

Article I, Section 9 specifically prohibits Congress from legislating in certain areas. In the first clause, the Constitution bars Congress from banning the importation of slaves before 1808. In the second and third clauses, the Constitution specifically guarantees rights to those accused of crimes.

What does Article 1 Section 4 of the Constitution mean?

Known as the Elections Clause, Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 provides for Congress and state legislatures to regulate the “Times, Places and Manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives.” 1. U.S. Const. art. I, § 4, cl.

What is Article 9 in simple words?

Article 9, Constitution of India 1950

No person shall be a citizen of India by virtue of article 5, or be deemed to be a citizen of India by virtue of article 6 or article 8, if he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of any foreign State.

Constitution Study TV: Article I, Section 9, Clause 4; No Capitation

26 related questions found

What does Article 9 mean?

Article 9 sets out a framework that permits a secured creditor to repossess and dispose of its collateral efficiently and inexpensively while providing the debtor with various procedural protections. The trigger for the sale is the debtor's default on its obligations to the lender under the applicable loan documents.

Did the founding fathers put God in the Constitution?

No, the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention God or a supreme being in its main text, a deliberate choice by the Founding Fathers to establish a secular government and protect religious freedom, though it does contain a date reference ("Year of our Lord") and the First Amendment prevents religious tests for office, reflecting a consensus on separation of church and state despite their personal faith. 

What is Section 9 of the Constitution?

9. (1) Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. (2) Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms.

What is Article 1 Section 2 Clause 4?

Clause 4 Vacancies

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.

What is article 4 in simple terms?

Article 4 of the U.S. Constitution in simple terms means states must respect each other's laws and citizens (Full Faith & Credit, Privileges & Immunities), how new states join the Union, and that the federal government guarantees a republican government and protects states from invasion and violence, ensuring unity and fair dealings among states.
 

What is the Section 9 Law?

** * When either the husband or the wife has, without reasonable excuse, withdrawn from the society of the other, the aggrieved party may apply, by petition to the district court, for restitution of conjugal rights and the court, on being satisfied of the truth of the statements made in such petition and that there is ...

Can the president spend money without Congress approval?

Similarly: presidents cannot spend beyond what has been enacted into law or otherwise ignore spending laws. As the Constitution clearly stipulates, the president cannot spend money that Congress has not appropriated—nor can they override spending laws to pursue their own funding priorities.

What does Section 9 of the Constitution protect everyone from unfair discrimination?

The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.

Does property Tax violate the 16th Amendment?

The Sixteenth Amendment overruled Pollock [II]'s second holding, stating that “Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment.” But it did not overrule Pollock [II]'s first holding that taxes on personal property are direct taxes.

What does article 1 section 9 say about slavery?

Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1, is one of a handful of provisions in the original Constitution related to slavery, though it does not use the word “slave.” This Clause prohibited the federal government from limiting the importation of “persons” (understood at the time to mean primarily enslaved African persons) where ...

Does Article 9 promote peace?

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution renounces war as a means of settling international disputes and prohibits the maintenance of armed forces and other war potential.

What does article 1 section 4 do?

Article I, Section 4, gives state legislatures the task of determining how congressional elections are to be held. For example, the state legislature determines scheduling of an election, how voters may register and where they may cast their ballots.

Is the president the chief Law enforcement officer?

The Attorney General is the head of the DOJ and chief law enforcement officer of the Federal Government. The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters, advises both the President and the heads of executive departments in the government, and occasionally appears in person before the Supreme Court.

Can a president change the Constitution?

The Constitution does not give a president the power to violate the Constitution, create or change congressional statutes, or override U.S. Supreme Court decisions—no matter what the EOs say.

What do you mean by Article 9?

Explanation of Article 9

The clear meaning of the above Article means that any citizen of India who voluntarily took the citizenship of any foreign country shall not be considered as an Indian citizen. In such a case, explanation, as mentioned under Articles 5, 6, and 8, shall also not apply.

What are the key points of section 9?

Article 1, Section 9

  • The Congress is expressly forbidden to prohibit the importation of slaves or migration before 1808.
  • The Congress is expressly forbidden to suspend habeas corpus except during a rebellion or invasion.
  • The Congress is expressly forbidden to pass a bill of attainder or ex post facto law.

What kind of right is article 9?

Article 9 protects your right to freedom of thought, belief and religion. It includes the right to change your religion or beliefs at any time. You also have the right to put your thoughts and beliefs into action.

What did Albert Einstein say about Jesus?

Though Jewish, Albert Einstein expressed deep admiration for Jesus Christ, calling him a "luminous figure" whose personality "pulsates in every word" of the Gospels, acknowledging Jesus's historical existence and his profound, "divine" teachings, even if some sayings echoed earlier prophets, while advocating for a purified Christianity stripped of priestly dogma, focusing on Jesus's ethical message for humanity.
 

Did all 613 laws come from God?

Yes, the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in Judaism are traditionally considered to have been given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, forming the core of the Torah, though the Bible doesn't explicitly state the number 613; Jewish tradition, particularly Maimonides' work, compiled and enumerated them from the texts of the Torah, with the Ten Commandments serving as a summary of these broader laws. The exact list and interpretation vary, with some laws being ceremonial, moral, or judicial, and not all are applicable today. 

What did Stephen Hawking say about God?

Stephen Hawking stated that science offers better explanations for the universe's origins than religion, concluding there is no God or divine creator, and that the universe arose spontaneously from nothing according to physical laws, not divine will, seeing no need for a higher power to set things in motion. While initially suggesting God might have set the laws, he later clarified he was an atheist, believing the simplest explanation is no God and that humans invented God to explain the unexplainable, which science now addresses.