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The Daily Insight

What is the 9th Amendment trying to say?

Author

Isabella Ramos

Updated on April 28, 2026

The Ninth Amendment tells us that the existence of a written constitution should not be treated as an excuse for ignoring nontextual rights, but it also tells us that the advocates of these rights cannot rest on ancient constitutional text to establish their existence.

What rights does the 9th amendment give us?

Because the rights protected by the Ninth Amendment are not specified, they are referred to as “unenumerated.” The Supreme Court has found that unenumerated rights include such important rights as the right to travel, the right to vote, the right to keep personal matters private and to make important decisions about …

How is the 9th amendment violated?

The states are violating the 9th amendment by banning same sex marriage. The only way the ban on same sex marriage can be legal is to ban all marriage. The states can not take the rights from one group of citozens while leaving the rest of them with the same right.

What are two examples of rights you have under the Ninth Amendment?

These include the presumption of innocence in criminal cases, the right to travel within the country and the right to privacy, especially marital privacy. These rights, although never enumerated, have found a home in the Ninth Amendment.

Why is the 9th Amendment bad?

NINTH AMENDMENT The 9th Amendment to the US Constitution is one of the least referred to amendments in decisions of the Supreme Court. It is also one of the most confusing, controversial and misunderstood amendments to the Constitution. This amendment reserves all rights not listed in the Constitution to the people.

What does the Ninth Amendment mean in kid words?

The Ninth Amendment or Amendment IX of the United States Constitution is the section of the Bill of Rights that states that there are other rights that may exist aside from the ones explicitly mentioned, and even though they are not listed, it does not mean they can be violated.

Is the 9th amendment still relevant today?

Today, historians and legal scholars are still divided on the Ninth Amendment’s meaning. “The Ninth Amendment was meant, at minimum, to protect residual rights not spelled out in the Constitution in order to limit government power,” says Jonathan Hafetz, a professor at Seton Hall Law School.

How many times has the 9th amendment been used?

‘ The ninth amendment is not a source of rights as such; it is simply a rule about how to read the Constitution.” At least two Supreme Court cases attempted to use the Ninth Amendment in their rulings, though they were ultimately forced to pair them with other amendments.

What has the 9th amendment been used for?

The Ninth Amendment was part of the Bill of Rights that was added to the Constitution on December 15, 1791. It says that all the rights not listed in the Constitution belong to the people, not the government. In other words, the rights of the people are not limited to just the rights listed in the Constitution.

Is the 9th Amendment still relevant today?

How does the 9th amendment limit the government?

The Ninth Amendment offers a constitutional safety net, intended to make it clear that Americans have other fundamental rights beyond those listed in the Bill of Rights. The amendment limits the federal government’s power to just what is written in the Constitution.

What is the 9th amendment called?

A Guide to the Ninth Amendment. The Ninth Amendment, or Amendment IX of the United States Constitution is the section of the Bill of Rights that states that there are other rights that may exist aside from the ones explicitly mentioned, and even though they are not listed, it does not mean they can be violated.

Does the Ninth Amendment end the argument about unenumerated rights?

Instead, in his view, the Ninth Amendment leaves the argument about unenumerated rights unresolved. Americans too often look to the Constitution to answer important questions of political morality. Worse yet, they too often think that they have found the answers that they are looking for.

What was James Madison’s 9th amendment proposal?

The Committee dropped Madison’s proposed declaration and rewrote his Ninth Amendment proposal to read as it reads today: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

What is the 9th Amendment in Griswold v United States?

Justices hugo l. black and Potter Stewart criticized the Court for invoking the Ninth Amendment as a basis for its decision in Griswold. The Ninth Amendment, the dissenting justices said, does not explain what unenumerated rights are retained by the people or how these rights should be identified.