Key sections of the US Constitution deleted from government’s website
Several critical sections of Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution appear to have been removed from the official U.S. government website. This alarming discovery was first highlighted by internet sleuths and confirmed by TechCrunch, raising questions about the integrity of online legal archives.
According to the Wayback Machine, these changes were implemented within the past month. Archived versions of the site, including one from July 17, show the complete original text of the Constitution available on Congress’s official website. However, the current version displays significant omissions.
Reddit threads have detailed the specific alterations within Article 1. Large portions of Section 8 have been deleted, while Sections 9 and 10 have been removed entirely. These sections are fundamental, outlining the powers granted to Congress and placing crucial limitations on the authority of individual states. Notably, the removed text includes provisions related to habeas corpus, a vital legal protection against unlawful detention.
The extent of the removal is evident in comparisons showing text highlighted in yellow as having been deleted from the current site. In some instances, a trailing semicolon at the end of Section 8 suggests that text previously followed, further indicating an incomplete or erroneous update.
In response to inquiries, the Library of Congress stated via a tweet on Wednesday that the sections were missing “due to a coding error” and that efforts were underway to resolve the issue promptly. When contacted by TechCrunch, a spokesperson for the Library of Congress did not provide further details regarding the cause or introduction of the coding error.
While changes to the text on the government’s website do not alter U.S. law itself, the incident occurs in the context of previous remarks made by Stephen Miller, a senior Trump administration official, who earlier this year reportedly suggested suspending habeas corpus. The White House, when reached for comment by TechCrunch, declined to elaborate beyond the Library of Congress’ official statement.
