What is the Article 1 Section 9?

Asked by: Kaley Kerluke  |  Last update: January 27, 2026
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Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution outlines specific powers Congress cannot exercise, acting as limitations on federal legislative power, including delaying the ban on slave importation (until 1808), restricting habeas corpus (except in emergencies), prohibiting bills of attainder or ex post facto laws, and preventing taxes on exports or granting titles of nobility, while also requiring transparency in government spending and trade fairness.

What does article 1 section 9 of the constitution mean?

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 taxes are forbidden in Article 1 Section 9?

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

What is the Article 1 Section 9 suspension clause?

Article I, Section 9, Clause 2: The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

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.

U.S. Constitution Article 1 Section 9

36 related questions found

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.

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. 

Can a president be removed for violating the constitution?

The impeachment process

The Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach federal officials. An official can be impeached for treason, bribery, and “other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The House of Representatives brings articles (charges) of impeachment against an official.

What are the denied powers of Article 1 Section 9?

Section 9 Powers Denied Congress

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

Can US citizens hold foreign titles?

Also known as the Title of Nobility Clause, Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution prohibits any person holding a government office from accepting any present, emolument, office, or title from any "King, Prince, or foreign State," without congressional consent.

Can I legally refuse to pay taxes?

No, you generally cannot legally choose not to pay taxes if you meet the filing requirements, as the obligation to pay is mandatory under U.S. law, but you can legally reduce your tax burden through deductions, credits, and living below the filing threshold; however, intentionally evading taxes is a crime with severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment, while making frivolous legal arguments against paying taxes is also prosecuted. 

Why is Article 1 so important?

Article I describes the design of the legislative branch of US Government -- the Congress. Important ideas include the separation of powers between branches of government (checks and balances), the election of Senators and Representatives, the process by which laws are made, and the powers that Congress has.

What are the three limitations in section 9?

In Section 9, there are three limitations on the power of Congress to deny people rights. What are those three limitations? The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended; no bills of attainder passed; no ex post facto laws passed.

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 ...

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 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 ...

When has article 9 been violated?

One of the most infamous examples of violations of Article 9 occurred during World War II, when the Nazi regime in Germany implemented a policy of arbitrary arrests and detention of individuals deemed to be enemies of the state.

What does the constitution forbid states from?

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title ...

Is article 9 still in effect?

Although conservative Japanese remain dissatisfied with Article 9 of the constitution, which renounces Japan's right to maintain military forces, vigorous opposition by the left and among the public has prevented the amendment of Article 9. It remains the basis of Japanese defense policy.

What Crimes would cause the President to be removed from office?

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. U.S. Const. art.

What would it take to impeach Trump?

For impeachment to occur, a simple majority is needed in the House and for conviction/removal from office to occur a two-thirds majority is needed in the Senate.

Who has the authority to remove a president?

The president may also be removed before the expiry of the term through impeachment for violating the Constitution of India by the Parliament of India. The process may start in either of the two houses of the parliament. The house initiates the process by levelling the charges against the president.

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.