How do I cite/reference the U.S. Constitution or, more specifically, the 4th Amendment to the Constitution?

Answer

When citing legal resources, APA defers to the popular legal citation style outlined in The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed., 2020).

The United States Constitution, the foundational document of our democracy, does not need to be cited in the text of a paper if mentioned generally.  For example:

The U. S. Constitution describes the responsibilities of the three branches of government.

 

If you are citing a specific part or article of the U.S. Constitution, you must cite it in the text of the paper using an in-text parenthetical reference using the abbreviations used in "Bluebook Style."  For example:

In 1920, Suffragettes succeeding in winning the right for women to vote (U. S. Const. amend. XIX).

The companion References list citation would be:

U. S. Const. amend. XIX.

 

If citing an article, use the following example as a pattern:

In-text citation:

(U. S. Const. art. IV, § 3).

References list citation:

U. S. Const. art. IV, § 3.

  • Last Updated Jun 21, 2021
  • Views 136822
  • Answered By Suzanne Schriefer, Librarian

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