Inquiry · Primary sources only

The Constitution

What the text says, and what the Court has held.

Ask what the Constitution says about a question, and how the Supreme Court has read it. You get a short answer first, then the full analysis folded below it: the text, the holdings, the competing views and every source.

Answers come only from the Constitution's text (National Archives transcription), the Constitution Annotated (2022 edition), the Supreme Court's opinions through June 2022, and the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. Each quotation is checked word for word by code. Where the Justices split, the opinion of the Court and the dissent are both shown, each labeled, with the current holding and no verdict. A syllabus is labeled as the Reporter's summary, not the Court's words, and scanned pages are marked.

Teach me to work it out. Tick this to learn the method instead of just reading a result: the answer walks the question step by step, with sources and a guiding question at each step, and the worked conclusion comes last, folded, so you can try the steps first.

Not legal advice If you describe your own legal situation, you get a legal-aid referral first and general principles only. This is civic education, not legal advice.

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Teach me to work it out: walk the method step by step, with sources and a guiding question at each step, then a worked conclusion

Want a founder’s view instead? Ask a founder or thinker, or convene several. Answers already given: Prior Questions on the Constitution.